Five Trains Including Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat, Gitanjali Express May Soon Stop at Ghatshila

Proposal For Express Train Stops At Ghatshila Submitted To Railway Board

 Jamshedpur/Ghatshila: Suburban rail passengers in East Singhbhum are one step closer to better connectivity. The South Eastern Railway (SER) Zonal Office has officially drafted and submitted a formal proposal to the Railway Board seeking scheduled stoppages for multiple prominent, long-distance express trains at Ghatshila and neighboring rural stations.

The developmental update was brought to light during the 106th meeting of the Zonal Railway User Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) held recently at Hotel Taj Bengal in Kolkata, under the chairmanship of Jamshedpur Member of Parliament (MP) Bidyut Baran Mahato.

Easing Commuter Woes

Currently, thousands of suburban passengers from rural pockets like Ghatshila, Galudih, and Rakha Mines are compelled to travel all the way to major hubs like Tatanagar or Chakradharpur just to board long-distance trains. To alleviate this logistical nightmare, local public representatives have aggressively advocated for halts at smaller stations.

The Zonal authorities confirmed that the detailed proposal has been actively forwarded to the central Railway Board for final administrative approval.

Major Trains in the Proposal

The list of highly requested trains proposed to get fresh commercial halts in the subdivision includes:

• Ghatshila Station: Stops requested for premier and highly patronized trains including the Ranchi–Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Howrah–Mumbai Gitanjali Express, Howrah–Pune Azad Hind Express, Howrah–Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express, and the Santragachi–Anand Vihar/Ajmer Weekly Express.
• Galudih Station: Stoppage proposed for the Howrah–Kantabanji Ispat Express.
• Rakha Mines Station: Stoppage requested for the Puri–Rishikesh Kalinga Utkal Express.

No Shifting of Trains to Adityapur

South Eastern Railway General Manager (GM) Anil Kumar Jain categorically clarified that the railway has absolutely no permanent proposal to alter train operations to different stations. The GM explained that Tatanagar Junction is currently undergoing a massive structural redevelopment process. Any minor or temporary shifting of platform operations to Adityapur is purely due to blockages from ongoing construction and all trains will be completely restored back to Tatanagar once the modernization work finishes.

Infrastructural Upgrades On Fast Track

The GM also updated the committee on pending infrastructural projects in the region. Tenders for the long-delayed Barigora and Govindpur Railway Overbridges (ROBs) have been successfully finalized, and ground construction will commence shortly. Additionally, the target timeline to open the highly anticipated Salgajhuri underpass for public use has been set for November 2026.