NEW DELHI — In a major push to inter-regional connectivity in the hill state, Union Minister for Railways Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually flagged off the inaugural service of the Ramnagar-Dehradun Express today.
The launch establishes the first-ever direct express train service connecting Ramnagar with Dehradun, fulfilling a long-standing demand to bridge the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami also joined the inaugural ceremony via video conferencing.
Operations, Route, and Socio-Economic Impact
The new bi-weekly service is engineered to act as a vital economic and tourism corridor for the region:
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Schedule and Halts: The train will operate every Wednesday and Friday. Train No. 15310 will depart Ramnagar at 05:50 hrs and reach Dehradun at 12:40 hrs. The return journey, Train No. 15309, will leave Dehradun at 15:55 hrs and arrive in Ramnagar at 23:30 hrs. Key en-route halts include Kashipur, Roshanpur, Pipalsana, Moradabad, Najibabad, and Haridwar.
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Regional Benefit: The line directly connects four districts in Uttarakhand (Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Dehradun) and two in Uttar Pradesh (Moradabad, Bijnor), providing daily transit for students, traders, and farmers.
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Tourism Booster: The train provides direct access to the Jim Corbett National Park and the Girija Devi Temple, while facilitating smoother onward transit for pilgrims heading toward the Char Dham circuit (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri) via Haridwar.
Stations Redevelopment and Infrastructure Push
The launch comes amid a broader fiscal expansion for Uttarakhand’s rail infrastructure, backed by a record state railway budget allocation of ₹4,769 crore:
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Station Upgrades: A total of 11 stations in the state are currently undergoing modernization. Shri Vaishnaw emphasized that the redevelopment of the core Haridwar and Dehradun stations will focus heavily on upgrading amenities for poor and middle-class passengers without escalating urban congestion.
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Decongesting Haridwar: The Ministry is drafting a comprehensive master plan to develop the Rishikesh Railway Station as a strategic feeder hub to expand capacity and absorb the heavy pilgrim rush moving through Haridwar.
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Strategic Corridors: Chief Minister Dhami reported that work on the high-priority Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line is progressing rapidly, describing it as a future socio-economic lifeline for the state. Over ₹40,000 crore worth of railway projects are currently under implementation across Uttarakhand, including infrastructural planning ahead of the upcoming Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.
