Lalu Prasad flags off Saharsa-Amritsar Garib Rath train

Saharsa (Bihar), Oct 04: The first 'Garib Rath' train, aimed at providing air-conditioned comfort to the poor at subsidised fares, was today flagged off by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad at the Saharsa Railway Station in north Bihar.

The train, a brainchild of Prasad, will ply between Saharsa and the temple town of Amritsar in Punjab, the state where lakhs of migrant Bihari labourers go every year to earn a living.

Addressing an large gathering before flagging off the train, the Railway Minister said, "The development of the railways is directly linked to the economic progress of the country. India's economic resurgence is not possible without revitalising the railways."

Prasad also stressed the need for protecting the railways and its passengers from sabotage and terrorist attacks.

"We have installed closed-circuit TVs, metal detectors and pressed into service sniffer dogs at major stations and propose to extend these security measures to smaller stations as early as possible to thwart any attempt by saboteurs to stage terror attacks like the one in Mumbai in July," he said.

Prasad said some petty criminals were active in some pockets in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in administering intoxicants to unsuspecting passengers to rob them of their belongings. "I have asked the railway protection force to launch a concerted drive against such gangs to ensure safe journey of rail passengers," he said.

"Since agriculture formed the bedrock of India's rural economy, the railways, with the intention of contributing to the economic well-being of farmers, has decided to set up container services at all its 7500 stations," Prasad said.

"This will enable the farmer in the countryside to send his produce to far-off places and earn remunerative prices. Our commitment to the welfare of the farmers is unfaltering," he said.

In a lighter vein, Prasad said all the ongoing railway projects in the Kosi region of Bihar would be completed by 2009. "After all, we have to face parliamentary election that year," he said amid applause by the crowd.

Referring to the construction of Bhapsia-Nirmali Railway bridge over the Kosi, laying of new lines between Khagaria and Kusheshwarsthan, Saharsa-Kusheswarsthan and conversion of Madhepura-Purnia and Saharsa-Forbesganj metre gauge lines into broad gauge, he said all these projects will be completed by 2009.

The minister said the railways also proposed rail-cum-road overbridges between Patna and Mokama and Khagaria and Munger.

Without directly attacking the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, Prasad said, "You people know that the railways do what they promise. Can you say the same about the state government?"

He announced a special reward of Rs 5 lakh to the team involved in timely construction of the rake for the first Garib Rath at Kapurthala coach factory and said a pantry car service would soon be introduced in the train.

The bi-weekly Saharsa-Amritsar Garib Rath train is fully Air-conditioned with 12 AC-3 coaches, four coaches of AC chaircar and two for the handicapped and the guard.

Features of the train

Detailing the unique features of the Garib Rath, Chief Public Relations Officer of the East Central Railway A K Chandra said while an AC-3 coach in a general train has 64 berths, the rath will have 75. The capacity of ac chaircar in a normal train is 90, whereas in Garib Rath it is 102.

The fare of Garib Rath AC-3 coach for a journey from Saharsa to Amritsar is Rs 691, whereas it is around Rs 1,200 in other trains.

The train will cover a distance of 1500 km in about 26 hours.

The Garib Rath will leave Saharsa every Tuesday and Friday and Amritsar every Wednesday and Sunday.

However, the first response to the air-conditioned train was not very encouraging as only 150 passengers had booked for the journey from Saharsa.

"We are not discouraged. More people will board the train on way and occupancy will gradually rise over the next few weeks once more people get aware about the train," Divisional Railway Manager of Samastipur V Sri Hari said.

Apart from the Saharsa-Amritsar Garib Rath, three other Garib Raths are planned between Patna-Delhi, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Chennai.