Dhanbad, Nov 19: The Coal Capital is set to receive a major railway boost as proposal has been moved to introduce the Amrit Bharat Express between Dhanbad and Coimbatore via Gaya–Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Junction.
The proposal has gained momentum following the strong performance of the existing Dhanbad–Coimbatore Special, prompting railway authorities to prepare for launching the ambitious Amrit Bharat Express on this busy route.
The current Dhanbad–Coimbatore Special operates without any tenure restrictions and follows a regular-train model with two months of advance booking.
Another special train for Coimbatore also runs via Ranchi however, the Gaya route has reported significantly stronger booking trends, boosting confidence in upgrading the service.
For passengers travelling from Dhanbad to Katpadi (Vellore), the special train has emerged as a convenient alternative. While the Alleppey Express reaches Katpadi at 1:30 am, the Dhanbad–Coimbatore Special arrives by 12:30 pm, sparing passengers from spending the night at the station.
Once the Amrit Bharat Express begins operations on this corridor, travel is expected to become more comfortable and reliable.
In the recent times, Indian Railways has been aggressively expanding Amrit Bharat Express services across multiple routes and as per reports, Dhanbad is next in line, with the coaching pit already being upgraded at a cost of several lakh rupees.
Alongside this development, the Dhanbad Rail Division has also recommended regularising the Dhanbad–Bhubaneswar Special, currently running in place of the erstwhile Garib Rath Express.
According to the proposal, the train has consistently maintained 100% occupancy and has been running as a special service since 24 August 2022. As a result, passengers have been paying higher fares.
