Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Expressway To Cut 15-Hour Travel Time To 9 Hours, Details Here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will inaugurate 23 completed projects totalling Rs 10,972 crore in his parliamentary constituency.

He will also lay the groundwork or the foundation stone for 13 new projects totalling Rs 3,344 crore as part of the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Expressway Construction Package I.

These projects include establishing Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited’s unit to manufacture components for Vande Bharat trains, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) campus, a medical college, and the atomic energy department’s common bio-medical waste disposal facility.

According to Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, PM Modi will lay the groundwork for these 13 projects during his upcoming visit, which will significantly improve infrastructure, medical education and facilities, fashion technology, and bio-medical waste disposal in Varanasi, as reported by TOI.

Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Expressway: Here’s All You Need To Know

• The six-lane Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata expressway is one of the main projects; it will cut the 15-hour travel time between Varanasi and Kolkata to nine hours.
• PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for Package I of this project, which will cost Rs 1,317 crore including land acquisition. This package includes the construction of a 27-kilometer road (green belt).
• By connecting several major cities, the expressway is expected to lower logistics costs and increase industrial activity.
• The National Highways Authority of India has named the upcoming six-lane greenfield Varanasi-Kolkata expressway NH319B.
• The 610-kilometer Varanasi-Kolkata expressway will connect four districts in Bihar and Jharkhand before entering West Bengal via Purulia district.
• Starting in Varanasi, the expressway will enter Bihar at Chand, bordering Chaudali in Uttar Pradesh (UP), and exit at Imamganj in Gaya after approximately 160 kilometres.
• A five-kilometer tunnel is proposed in the Kaimur hills to cross the Sone River in Tilauthu, Sasaram, and enter Aurangabad via the Grand Trunk road.
• According to the Hindustan Times, the expressway, which will cost Rs 35,000 crore, will enter Jharkhand from Hunterganj in Chatra and exit in West Bengal’s Purulia district via Hazaribag and Ramgarh.

According to reports, the Jharkhand Road Construction Department (RCD) plans to connect the expressway with Ranchi’s ring road. Once the expressway (NH319B) is completed, the travel time between Kolkata and Varanasi will be cut in half.

Currently, it takes approximately 12-14 hours to travel the 690-kilometer distance between Varanasi and Kolkata. The road is also expected to boost trade activities in Bihar, as the upcoming logistics park in Gaya will be connected to it.