Jaipur: Residents of Bikaner and Jodhpur will soon have access to same-day rail travel to and from the national capital, with Vande Bharat trains on the Bikaner-Delhi and Jodhpur-Delhi routes scheduled to begin operations by mid-September. These services are planned to depart from Bikaner and Jodhpur in the early morning, enabling passengers to return on the same day in the evening. At present, North Western Railways (NWR) operates four Vande Bharat trains, including routes from Ajmer to Chandigarh via Jaipur and Delhi, Jaipur to Udaipur, Jodhpur to Sabarmati, and Udaipur to Agra.“It is proposed that the Bikaner to Delhi Vande Bharat train is likely to start by mid-Sept. The idea is to connect the people of Bikaner, Churu, and Sujangarh to Delhi, and the train is likely to depart in the morning from Bikaner and is expected to return to Bikaner the same day in the evening,” an officer with NWR told TOI.According to the proposed timetable, Vande Bharat from Bikaner will start at 5.45 am, with Ratangarh, Churu, and Rewari as its halt stations and is expected to arrive at Delhi Cantt at 11.50 am. “The train will return from Delhi Cantt at 16.45 hours and is proposed to reach Bikaner at 23.00 hours,” the officer said.“The idea is to connect rail passengers of two cities, including Bikaner and Jodhpur, with Delhi in a manner that they can visit Delhi and return the same day,” said Captain Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer, NWR.While dates for the Jodhpur to Delhi Vande Bharat are yet to be finalised, as per the tentative timetable, the train is likely to depart from Jodhpur at 5.30 am and reach Delhi Cantt at 1.30 pm, passing through Degana, Makrana, Jaipur, and Alwar. “On its return, it is expected to start at 15.10 hours and is likely to reach Jodhpur at 23.15 hours the same day,” the officer said.
