Bhagalpur, March 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to flag off the inaugural run of a freight train on the 3.69km-long Munger bridge from Hajipur on Saturday. The bridge costs Rs 2,774 crore.

Thanks to the completion of the Banka-Chandan railway track, many remote districts in eastern Bihar will soon be connected by rail. "We faced immense problems crossing the river to reach Munger, the divisional headquarters," said Basant Singh, a farmer from Sahebpur Kamal in Khagaria district. The new railway line would connect Kiul-Sahebganj section with Katihar-Baruni section. Munger residents apart, many on the other side of the Ganga, like in Khagaria and Begusarai, welcomed the new rail link. Bhagalpur residents can soon take a direct train to Deoghar, abode of Lord Baidyanath in Jharkhand.

Rajesh Argal, divisional railway manager in Eastern Railway's Malda division, said Jamalpur railway station would soon get an eight-bogie EMU train from Chennai to run as a passenger train from Jamalpur to Begusaria.

Residents of Banka too have reasons to celebrate. Two passenger trains would soon connect Bhagalpur with Deoghar via Banka. Argal said trains are likely to start plying on this section from April. After getting the commissioner of railway safety's nod, a month would be required to give final touches, he said.

Argal said the 53.3km stretch from Bhagalpur to Banka and 55.7km stretch from Banka to Deoghar in the new 109km line would fall under the jurisdictions of Malda and Asansol divisions of Eastern Railways. "Two passenger trains are already operating through Malda and Asansol sections; one from Bhagalpur to Banka and another from Deoghar to Chandan," Argal said. "These would be extended. Two passengers trains from Bhagalpur to Deoghar would be introduced on trial basis for the next four months."

The railway would take an appropriate decision on running express trains on this section after successful trials of the passenger trains.

The new route would provide people from districts like Banka a direct rail link to the Patna-Asansol main and Kiul-Sahebganj sections.

A source said another new route, Bhagalpur-Mandarhill-Hansdiha-Dumka-Rampurhat, is likely to be started soon. This would connect eastern Bihar with Jharkhand and Bengal. Train services have already started on the Bhagalpur-Hansdiha stretch and work on the remaining Hansdiha-Dumka-Rampurhat stretch is already completed.

Many residents of remote areas like Suia and Abrakha in Banka, too, welcomed the new railway connectivity.