Pariksha SaathiRailway Minister and West Bengal Chief Minister flag off the Jaipur (Khatipura)-Tatanagar-Santragachi Express
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, flagged off the Jaipur (Khatipura)-Tatanagar-Santragachi Express on 26 October 2026; the Railway Minister took part through video conferencing. Shri Vaishnaw said the new train, connecting Jaipur with Jamshedpur and Kolkata, would improve rail connectivity between Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and benefit migrant workers residing in Rajasthan, business communities, students and other passengers. He said that the railway budget allocation for Jharkhand has increased from ₹450 crore to ₹7,500 crore, approximately 16 times the earlier allocation, that projects worth approximately ₹75,000 crore are underway in the State, and that 57 stations in Jharkhand are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, with work completed at several stations including Godda, Govindpur Road, Lohardaga, Madhupur and Muri. Across the country, he said, more than 1,300 stations have been taken up for development under the scheme, and stations in West Bengal including Santragachi, Jalpaiguri Road, Joychandi Pahar, Haldia and Kamakhyaguri are also being redeveloped. He added that work is underway to expand the railway line connecting Howrah, Kharagpur, Chakulia and Tatanagar to four lines, and that the 4.5-kilometre section connected to the Beleghata-IT Centre of Kolkata Metro has been completed and trial runs have begun on it; the section would provide connectivity with the Green Line. Shri Adhikari said that the annual average railway allocation for West Bengal was ₹4,380 crore during 2009-2014 and has increased to ₹14,205 crore for 2026-27.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
In August 2023 the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme covered 1309 stations nationwide (the list has since been revised; the Railway Minister now speaks of more than 1,300 stations taken up for development). Under it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone, via video conferencing, for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations on 6 August 2023, at a cost of more than Rs 24,470 crore. These 508 stations were spread across 27 States and Union Territories, including 55 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 37 in West Bengal and 20 in Jharkhand. Master Plans were being prepared to develop the stations as 'City Centres', with proper integration of both sides of the city; the redevelopment was to provide modern passenger amenities with well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and signage for passengers, and the design of the station buildings was to be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.
Check yourself: when did the Prime Minister lay the foundation stone for redeveloping 508 stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, and how many of those stations were in West Bengal and in Jharkhand?
On 6 August 2023; 37 in West Bengal and 20 in Jharkhand.
Revision task: from this release, note the train's route and the States it links, who flagged it off, the Jharkhand allocation and station figures, the West Bengal allocation figures and the Kolkata Metro section; from the note, how many stations the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme covered in August 2023, when the foundation stone for 508 stations was laid, their cost and how the stations were to be redeveloped.
Test yourself
According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on 26 October 2026, under which scheme are 57 stations in Jharkhand being redeveloped?
Show the answer
Answer: Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that 57 stations in Jharkhand are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, with work completed at several stations including Godda, Govindpur Road, Lohardaga, Madhupur and Muri, and that more than 1,300 stations have been taken up for development under the scheme across the country.
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