Preparations have started to connect those districts of Bihar to the railway network where trains have never reached. A detailed project report (DPR) of the new rail line between Motihari (East Champaran) and Shivhar will be ready soon. After this, work on laying the railway line can begin.
Before that, the railway will do a geo-technical survey of the project. In this survey, a report will be made on land acquisition, stations, halts, yards, underpasses, ROBs, and bridges. Based on this, the final DPR will be prepared. If everything goes well, work of laying tracks will soon start in Shivhar district, and trains will run here for the first time after independence.
The East Central Railway has given the survey work to a Delhi-based agency. This rail project was first approved by the Central Government in 2006-07 on the proposal of the Railway Ministry. The plan also includes connecting the Shivhar-Sitamarhi rail line. This new rail project will be a total of 70 km long.
Right now, the Delhi company will do the geo-technical survey only on the 51 km route from Bapudham Motihari to Shivhar. For this, Mantu Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Administrative Officer of the Construction Department of East Central Railway, has released a report. The railway will spend ₹41 lakh on this survey.
Shivhar to Get First Railway Line
The Bapudham Motihari–Shivhar new railway line project will benefit more than 10 lakh people of East Champaran, Muzaffarpur (Meenapur–Siwaipatti), Shivhar, and Sitamarhi districts of North Bihar. This is the first railway project for Shivhar, as there has been no railway line or station here since independence.
The District Land Acquisition Department has speeded up land acquisition for the Motihari–Shivhar–Sitamarhi new line. As per the survey, 13 bridges and 62 culverts will be built, along with 30 railway crossing gates. These numbers may change later.
Dream Coming True After 19 Years
This project was first announced in the railway budget of 2006–07. At that time, the cost was ₹221 crore, which has now increased to ₹926.09 crore. After waiting nearly two decades, people of Shivhar will finally get to travel by train. The new railway line will not only improve travel convenience but also boost economic and social development in the region.