Jodhpur-Agra Vande Bharat is being widely discussed, and there is a strong possibility that it will attract more passengers if it runs via Jaipur-Dausa-Alwar-Mathura, compared to the Jaipur-Bharatpur/Sawai Madhopur-Agra route. This is because both Alwar and Mathura have larger populations than Bharatpur and Sawai Madhopur, and are also rich in tourism. Moreover, major pilgrimage sites like Govardhan Ji are located on the Alwar-Mathura route. Therefore, the proposed three-day-a-week operation of the Jodhpur-Agra Cantt Vande Bharat should be via Jaipur-Alwar-Govardhan-Mathura. Similarly, train number 20981-82, Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat, should be extended to Agra Cantt via Alwar-Mathura. Recently, its frequency has been reduced to three days a week, and it now runs via Kota. The 12035-36 Jaipur-Agra Fort Shatabdi, which ran via Jaipur-Bharatpur, has been permanently shut down due to low passenger occupancy.

We hope that both these trains will be routed via the Alwar-Mathura rail line, providing convenience to passengers and devotees of Lord Krishna.

Pehle Ballia se Vande Bharat.
Aur vo bhi sirf 13 safar ke liye special hai.

Are major cities on busy mainline sections being ignored?

Let's take Uttar Pradesh as an example, as it has some of the most congested and high-speed rail sections, as well as numerous large cities and small towns.

1) Aligarh and Bareilly, in terms of population, are larger than Gorakhpur. However, while Gorakhpur enjoys several dedicated trains to destinations like Mumbai and South India, Aligarh and Bareilly have no daily trains to these regions. Residents from Aligarh and Bareilly are expected to travel to New Delhi or Lucknow to catch these trains.

2) You may have heard of stations like "Shahjahanpur" on the Bareilly-Lucknow route or "Firozabad" on the Delhi-Kanpur route and might have dismissed them as small-town stations. However, both Shahjahanpur and Firozabad are classified as Nagar Nigams (tier 2), yet they lack sufficient train stoppages and essential connections to places like Mumbai and South India. In contrast, Ballia, a smaller Nagar Palika (tier 3), has a dedicated daily train to Mumbai, a tri-weekly dedicated train to Mumbai and trains towards South India and Gujarat coming from just one station before (Chhapra).

3) Mirzapur, which is a Mandal (administrative division covering multiple districts), holds more official importance than many other districts. Yet, Mirzapur has access to only three major superfast trains to Delhi: Sampoorna Kranti, Purushottam, and Mahabodhi. Tickets for these trains are often difficult to secure as they are already full upon reaching Mirzapur. Meanwhile, Ghazipur, despite not being a Mandal, enjoys the benefit of a dedicated six-day-a-week train to Delhi, along with three additional trains to Delhi that come from Ballia (just one station before).

This disparity raises questions about the allocation of train services to different regions and while I've no problem with stations getting trains on not-so-busy routes (in fact, stations like Ballia, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur might need even more trains to other stations), it's important to consider the demand of stations on mainline/busy routes too.

Kya busy mainline sections pe bade shaharon ko ignore kiya ja raha hai?

Uttar Pradesh ko ek example ke tor par lete hai, kyunki yaha pe bahut congested aur high-speed rail sections hain, aur saath me bahut saare bade shahar aur chhote town bhi hain.

1) Aabaadi ke hisaab se Aligarh aur Bareilly Gorakhpur se bade hain. Lekin Gorakhpur ke paas Mumbai aur South India jaane ke liye bahut saari dedicated trains hain, jabki Aligarh aur Bareilly mein in regions ke liye koi daily train nahi hai. Aligarh aur Bareilly ke residents ko in trains ko pakadne ke liye New Delhi ya Lucknow jaana padta hai.

2) Aapne Shahajahanpur station ke bare me suna hoga jo Bareilly-Lucknow route pe hai, ya Firozabad station ke bare me jo Delhi-Kanpur route pe hai, aur aapne shayad unhe chhote shaharon ke station samajh ke ignore kiya hoga. Lekin Shahjahanpur aur Firozabad dono hi Nagar Nigam (tier 2) hain, phir bhi unhe Mumbai aur South India jaane ke liye kaafi train stoppages aur essential connections nahi milte. Iske ulat Ballia, jo ek chhota Nagar Palika (tier 3) hai, ke paas Mumbai jaane ke liye ek dedicated daily train hai, ek tri-weekly dedicated train bhi hai aur South India aur Gujarat jaane wali trains bhi hain jo sirf ek station pahle (Chhapra) se aati hain.

3) Mirzapur, jo ek Mandal (bahut saare districts ko cover karne wala administrative division) hai, bahut saare dusre districts se zyada official importance rakhta hai. Phir bhi, Mirzapur ke paas sirf teen major superfast trains Delhi jaane ke liye hain: Sampoorna Kranti, Purushottam, aur Mahabodhi. In trains ke liye tickets karna bahut mushkil hota hai, kyunki ye Mirzapur pahunchne ke pehle hi full ho jaate hain. Iske ulat, Ghazipur, jo Mandal nahi hai, ko Delhi jaane ke liye ek dedicated six-day-a-week train ka faayda milta hai, aur saath me teen aur trains bhi hain jo Ballia (sirph ek station pahle) se aati hain.

Is disparity se train services ke different regions me allocation ke baare me sawal uthte hain, aur mujhe koi problem nahi hai stations ko trains dene me jo not-so-busy routes pe hain (asal me Ballia, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur jaise stations ko dusre stations ke liye aur bhi zyada trains ki zarurat ho sakti hai). Mainline/busy routes pe station ki demand ko bhi dhyan me rakhna bahut jaruri hai.