(a) whether the Railways are aware that there are no direct trains
from Bhopal to Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun in Uttarakhand; and
(b) if so, the steps taken by the Railways to enable the passengers
from Bhopal to visit various places of pilgrimage in Uttarakhand?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI K.H. MUNIYAPPA)
(a) & (b) At present, 12171/12172 Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Haridwar A.C. Express
(bi-weekly) & 12687/12688 Chennai-Dehradun Express (weekly) are available
between Bhopal-Haridwar and 12687/12688 Chennai-Dehradun Express (weekly)
is available between Bhopal-Dehradun. However, there is no direct train
between Bhopal-Rishikesh. There is no proposal to introduce a new train
from Bhopal to Rishikesh due to operational and resource constraints.