Ranchi, April 03: Indian Railways has announced a new train service between Ranchi and New Delhi to accommodate increased passenger demand. The Ranchi-New Delhi-Ranchi Summer Special, Train 02877/02878, will operate for 13 trips in both directions.
Train 02877 will depart from Ranchi every Friday from April 4 to June 27 at 23:55 hrs, arriving in New Delhi at 03:00 hrs on Sunday. Train 02878 will leave New Delhi every Sunday from April 6 to June 29 at 16:00 hrs, reaching Ranchi at 17:00 hrs on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Indian Railways is preparing to conduct a trial run of trains at 160 kmph between Koderma and Gaya on Friday. The railway has erected walls along the track from Hazaribagh Road to Paharpur for safety, an official said.
Currently, high-speed trains such as Duronto, Rajdhani, and Vande Bharat operate at 130 kmph on this section. The signal system between Dhanbad and Paharpur has been upgraded with a route relay interlocking system, improving efficiency and safety.
On Wednesday, a trial was conducted between Dhanbad and Manpur at 145 kmph, covering 199 km in 1 hour and 48 minutes. This trial train was 35 minutes faster than the Rajdhani Express on the same route.
The railway has urged passengers to use overbridges to cross tracks, ensuring safety as high-speed train operations expand.