Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the historic Kosi Rail Mahasetu to the nation and inaugurated new rail lines and electrification projects in Bihar for the benefit of passengers through video conference on September 18. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi said a new history was created in the field of rail connectivity in Bihar. He said projects worth about Rs 30 billion like the inauguration of the Kosi Mahasetu and Kiul Bridge, electrification projects, promotion of Make in India in the Indian Railways and a dozen new job-creating projects had been launched. These projects would not only strengthen the rail network in Bihar but also strengthen West Bengal and eastern India’s rail connectivity as well. The prime minister congratulated the people of Bihar for the new and modern facilities that would benefit the railway passengers of eastern India. He said many parts of the eastern state were cut off from each other due to many rivers crisscrossing its territory and people were forced to perform long journeys due to this. He said four years ago, the construction of the two Mahasetu was started in Patna and in Munger to solve this problem. With the commissioning of these two rail bridges, the travel between northern and southern parts of the state would get eased. He said a severe earthquake that had occurred eight-and-a-half decades ago isolated the Mithila and Kosi regions in the state and it was a coincidence that both the regions were being interlinked amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that the Supaul-Asanpur-Kupha rail route was being dedicated to the nation due to the hard work of the migrant workers who were also involved in the construction of the bridge. He said this new Kosi rail line was envisaged in 2003 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and the present Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar was the Railway Minister. He said this project was fast-tracked by the present Central Government and work was completed on the Supaul-Asanpur-Kupaha route using modern technology. The Prime Minister said that with a new rail service commencing between Supaul-Asanpur via Kosi Mahasetu will greatly benefit the people of Supaul, Araria and Saharsa districts. This would also make an alternative rail route available to the people. He said the Mahasetu would help reduce a journey of 300 km to 22 km and it would also promote business activity in the entire region. The Prime Minister said like Kosi Mahasetu, a new rail route on Kiul River with the electronic interlocking facility trains would enable trains to run at the speed of 125 km per hour on the entire route. He added electronic interlocking would ease the movement of trains on the main rail line from Howrah-Delhi and will provide relief from unnecessary delays and make railway journeys on the stretch safer. An 86-Year Long Wait In 1887, a meter gauge link was built in between Nirmali and Bhaptiahi (Saraigarh). During the heavy flooding and a severe earthquake that rocked India and Nepal in 1934, the rail link was washed away. Thereafter, due to the meandering nature of the River Kosi, no attempt was made to restore this rail link for a very long time. The Kosi Mega Bridge line project was sanctioned by the Government of India during 2003-04. The Kosi Rail Mahasetu is 1.9 KM long and its construction cost is Rs 5.16 billion. Located close to the India-Nepal border, the bridge is of great strategic importance. The project was completed during the coronavirus pandemic where the migrant workers also participated in its completion. The dedication of this project will fulfill the over eight-decade long wait of the people of the region. Along with the dedication of the Mahasetu, the Prime Minister flagged-off the Saharsa-Asanpur-Kupha demo train from the Supaul Station. Once the regular train service begins, this would prove to be highly beneficial to the Supaul, Arariya and Saharsa districts. It would also facilitate long-distance travel to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai from the region. The prime minister also inaugurated two new line projects at Hajipur-Ghoswar-Vaishali and Islampur-Nateshar, the Karnauti-Bakhtiyarpur link bypass and the third line between Barh-Bakhiyarpur. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the railway electrification projects of Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi, Katihar-New Jalpaiguri, Samastipur-Darbhanga-Jaynagar, Samastipur-Khagaria, Bhagalpur-Shivnarayanpur sections.