Union minister of state for tribal affairs Sudarshan Bhagat flagged off an electric loco train to Tori from Ranchi station on Tuesday to mark the completion of a rail modernisation milestone which Jharkhand hopes will pave the way for Delhi-bound superfast trains, like the Rajdhani, to use the route and save journey time.

“I expect Delhi-bound trains to run on this route soon,” the minister said after the flower bedecked MEMU (mainline electric train multiple unit) left for Tori from Ranchi station in the presence of Ranchi divisional railway manager (DRM) V.K. Gupta and other dignitaries.

A train with a diesel loco had been running between Ranchi and Tori, a distance of 111km, since March last year, after the line was extended from Lohardaga to Tori. But the 42km track between Lohardaga and Tori was not electrified up until now.

On September 29, commissioner of railway safety (southern and south-eastern circle) A. Manoharan inspected the rail route to check the electrification work. It was after his nod that a MEMU train — unlike EMU trains these have vestibules and are primarily used in semi-urban and rural areas — was introduced on Tuesday morning.

“During inspection, the trial run of a train was conducted at a speed of 80kmph between Lohardaga and Barki Chanpi stations and at 65kmph between Barki Chanpi and Tori,” said additional DRM Vijay Kumar who was among those who had accompanied Manoharan for the inspection.

Kumar said train speeds would be increased as the tracks stabilised.

Trains like the Rajdhani and Garib Rath, that run between Ranchi and New Delhi, go through Tori via Muri and Barkakana stations. Going through Lohardaga would mean cutting down distance by 95km.

“The railways are also interested in running trains on this route (Lohardaga-Tori) as that will reduce operating costs,” a senior official noted.

Passengers will be happy when that happens. “If Delhi bound trains run on this route, many passengers like me from Lohardaga will be benefited as we will not need to come to Ranchi to board such trains,” said Dhananjay Sahu, who travelled to Lohardaga by the new MEMU train on Tuesday.

There will be three services of the new train in all, one to Tori (8.55am, two and a half-hour journey) and two to Lohardaga (3.00pm and 6.55pm, an hour and a half journey). “As of now, we hope these services will stick to time,” added Nijamuddin, another passenger.

A Ranchi-Lohardaga passenger train was introduced way back in 1911 after laying narrow gauge tracks. It served as a lifeline for the people of the region for nearly nine decades. The service was temporarily suspended to facilitate conversion to broad gauge.

Subsequently, the line was extended to Tori and a train with a diesel loco started operating the stretch last year.