The Centre on Wednesday approved the quadrupling of the 16.72 -km long Varanasi-Pt.Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn (DDU) rail line. The decision was taken at a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 2,642 crore. It is likely to be completed in four years. The project includes a rail cum road bridge over the river Ganga. The twin deck rail cum road bridge will have a six lane road on the top deck and four railway tracks below.
The new lines will be designed for speed of up to 160 kmph and will run parallel to the existing route (dark blue line). Once built, the new bridge will retire the existing double line bridge between Baba Bhagwan Ram Halt and Kashi stations over the river Ganga.
Project details
The line passes through Varanasi and Chandauli districts of Uttar Pradesh and connects the North/ North West to the East, Northeast and Southeast of India.
The Varanasi-Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn (DDU) route faces heavy congestion due to goods traffic carrying coal, cement, and food grains besides serving tourism and industry.
The project will ease traffic congestion and improve average speeds on one of India’s busiest sections between Varanasi and DDU which currently has a line capacity utilisation at 163 per cent . As on date, trains are given between 30 and 45 minutes to cover this stretch as the the bridge is 137 years old.
Freight to the tune 27.83 MTPA is anticipated on the proposed line which will add over 30 track kilometres to the Indian Railways’ network.
Speaking to the media in New Delhi on Wednesday, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said “the foundation of the new bridge will be about 120 feet below the river bed. The bridge is being designed to last 150 years,” he added.
The alignment will be built at a sufficiently higher level above the ground, enough to withstand any flooding as a result of spillover from the river bank during monsoon. The rail bridge will be built by IR’s construction organisation, the Minister said.
Project Inclusion in Union Budget
Replying to an unstarred question regarding railway projects in Uttar Pradesh raised by Lallu Singh, (Member of Parliament) in the Lok Sabha on March 14,2018, the then Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain informed the house that the project was first included as a third line project between Varanasi and DDU in the 2017-18 budget at a sanctioned cost of Rs 2005.15 crore.
Gohain informed that the DDU byepass line doubling was included in the 2015-16 budget along with the doubling of four other byepass lines at Sitarampur,Sainthia, Prayagraj and Etawah at a sanctioned cost totalling Rs 830.73 crore.
He further added that a 13-km railway flyover at Jeonathpur near DDU was taken up in the 2016-17 budget at a cost of Rs 866.12 crore.
Project benefits
It will generate employment of about 10-lakh man days during construction. The project will reduce diesel consumption by about eight crore litres per annum translating into annual savings of approximate Rs 638 crore. It will also lower CO2 emissions (149 Crore Kg) which is equivalent to planting six crore trees.
History
The bridge was opened as a single line bridge on October 1, 1887 and was named Dufferin Bridge. Prior to this, passengers were ferried by steamers across the Ganga.The remnants of the steamer jetty is still present below the bridge on right bank of the river.
The bridge was re-girdered and was opened as a double line bridge on December 5,1947. The same day, it was renamed as Malviya Bridge by Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant. The bridge is located at a place where the Ganga’s stream is ‘Uttar Vahini’ (flows from South to North).
Line Opening dates
Even before the bridge over the Ganga at Kashi was opened on October 1, 1887, railway lines were operational on the Northern and Southern banks of the Ganga. The line opening dates of sections between DDU and Prayagraj are as follows:
| Name of Railway Company | Name of railway line | Origin-Destination | Section | Distance in miles | Date of Opening |
| Oudh & Rohilkand Railway ( O&RR) | Moghalsarai -Saharanpur main line via Raebareli Lucknow | Moghalsarai-Saharanpur | Moghalsaral-mile 3.98 | 3.98 | December 22, 1862 |
| O&RR | Moghalsarai -Saharanpur main line via Raebareli Lucknow | Moghalsarai-Saharanpur | Mile 3.98 to Kashi (Benares Ganges) station | 4.25 | October 1,1887 |
| O&RR | Moghalsarai -Saharanpur main line via Raebareli Lucknow | Moghalsarai-Saharanpur | Kashi (Benares Ganges) station to Benares Cantonment | 2.82 | June 18,1883 |
| Name of Railway Company | Name of railway line | Origin-Destination | Section | Distance in miles | Date of Opening |
| O&RR | Moghalsarai -Saharanpur main line via Raebareli Lucknow | Moghalsarai-Saharanpur | Benares Cant -Raebareli via Janghai, Partabgarh | 138.78 | April 4,1898 |
| O&RR | Allahabad Fyzabad Branch | Allahabad- Fyzabad | Phaphamau-Allahabad | 7 | January 1,1905 |
| O&RR | Allahabad Jaunpur Branch | Allahabad–Jaunpur | Phaphamau-Mariahu via Janghai | 47.51 | June 18,1906 |
| Name of Railway Company | Name of railway line | Origin-Destination | Section | Distance in miles | Date of Opening |
| O&RR / B&NW (3ft 3 3/8 inch gauge) | Benares City Branch | Benares Cantt – Benares City | Benares Cantt – Benares City | 2.18 | April 1,1899 |
| Bengal & North Western Railway (B&NW) 3ft 3 3/8 inch | Chupra-Benares Allahabad branch | Chupra-Allahabad City | Benares-Madhosingh | 28.6 | March 1,1909 |
| B&NW | Chupra-Benares Allahabad branch | Chupra-Allahabad City | Madhosingh-Jhusi | 41.95 | April 21,1909 |
| B&NW | Chupra-Benares Allahabad branch | Chupra-Allahabad City | Jhusi- Izat Bridge | 2.38 | November 1,1912 |
| B&NW | Chupra-Benares Allahabad branch | Chupra-Allahabad City | Izat Bridge -Allahabad City | 2.29 | May 8,1913 |
| Name of Railway Company | Name of railway line | Origin-Destination | Section | Distance in miles | Date of Opening |
| O&RR | Howrah -Delhi Main line | Howrah-Delhi | Moghalsarai-Mirzapur | 39.28 | January 1,1864 |
| O&RR | Howrah -Delhi Main line | Howrah-Delhi | MIrzapur-South Bank Jumna | 52.95 | April 4, 1864 |
| O&RR | Howrah -Delhi Main line | Howrah-Delhi | Jumna Bridge -Allahabad | 2.75 | August 15,1865 |
Three routes from DDU to Prayagraj
Trains take three different routes from DDU Jn (earlier called Mughalsarai Jn) to Prayagraj Jn ( earlier called Allahabad Jn). They are
- Via Varanasi, Janghai and Phaphamau ( red and blue line)
- Via Madhosingh and Gyanpur Road (this was a metre gauge route until recently- beige line)
- Via Mirzapur and Naini (purple line)
Trains travelling via the first route cross the Ganga at Kashi and Phaphamau. Those going via the second route cross the Ganga at Kashi and Jhusi while the trains using the third route third route do not cross the Ganga. Instead, they cross the Yamuna at Naini.
Finally, the Centre’s decision to quadruple the Varanasi -DDU stretch is commendable.
