The Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, flagged off the Dohrighat–Aunrihar passenger train by video conference in a ceremony attended by the Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister and a member of parliament. The daily service is intended to improve connectivity across the Purvanchal region and to respond to long-standing demands for direct links for residents of Mau and Ghazipur districts. The service will halt at Sadat, Jakhanian, Dullahapur, Mau, Indara, Kopaganj, Ghosi, Amila and Muradpur and will run with an eight-coach rake designed for daily commuters. The minister said the service would be extended to Varanasi to provide direct access to the cultural and commercial hub, benefiting students, traders and pilgrims. The minister outlined a plan for a new express linking Chhapra to Delhi via Ballia, Mau, Azamgarh, Shahganj, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Lucknow, Kanpur and Anand Vihar and said the service would be introduced through the northern Ganga corridor. He recalled that the Indara–Dohrighat metre gauge line, built in 1904, had been converted to broad gauge after 2014, enabling new services on the route. He cited a substantial rise in rail allocation for Uttar Pradesh, noting that the 2014 allocation of Rs 1,109 crore equated to Rs 11.09 billion (bn) and had grown to about Rs 20,012 crore or Rs 200.12 bn. The minister added that projects worth around Rs 1.2 lakh crore, equating to Rs 1.2 trillion (tn), were underway and that new-line, doubling and third-line works would reshape the network. Work on infrastructure includes a replacement bridge at Varanasi carrying four rail lines and a six-lane highway, the redevelopment of Amrit Bharat stations and the fast-tracking of underpass construction at three locations. The minister said around 58 new services had started and 568 services had been extended in the state, and that the proposed bullet train corridor would reduce travel times between major cities while remaining affordable for ordinary citizens.