Indian Railways Approves Temporary Extension For Three Maharashtra Trains To UP Jharkhand
Indian Railways has temporarily extended three train services operating from Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in a bid to maintain uninterrupted passenger movement amid critical infrastructure work at Gorakhpur Junction. Trains to Gonda, Azamgarh and Dhanbad will now run on revised schedules until the end of 2025. This move, prompted by ongoing construction at the North Eastern Railway hub, aims to offer smoother connectivity for commuters bound for key destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand during the upgrade period.
The operational changes will be in effect until the end of December 2025 and include modified destinations and revised schedules. The affected trains—Godan Express, Mumbai LTT–Azamgarh Superfast Express, and the Mumbai LTT–Dhanbad Special Fare Summer Special—will continue to operate but will temporarily terminate at alternate destinations due to limited access to Gorakhpur.The decision is a strategic one aimed at balancing infrastructure modernisation with uninterrupted rail connectivity for high-demand corridors linking Maharashtra to Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Rail authorities, while confirming the schedule extensions, have advised commuters to verify detailed timings through official portals and the NTES mobile app.The Godan Express (11055/11056), which traditionally operated between LTT and Gorakhpur, will now terminate at Gonda instead of its original endpoint. This change will last until 7 December 2025.
Passengers will now board the train in Mumbai at 10:55 am, reaching Gonda at 11:00 pm the following day. The return journey will begin from Gonda at 3:10 am, concluding at LTT the next day around 3:30 pm.Similarly, the Mumbai LTT–Azamgarh Superfast Express (20103/20104), previously running up to Gorakhpur, will now reach only Azamgarh. The altered schedule is effective until 6 December 2025 for departures from Azamgarh, and until 5 December 2025 for departures from Mumbai. The updated route ensures continued access for passengers travelling to eastern Uttar Pradesh despite the disruption at Gorakhpur. Train No. 20103 will depart LTT at 5:23 am, arriving in Azamgarh at 3:15 pm on the second day. The return train, No. 20104, will leave Azamgarh at 6:50 pm, reaching Mumbai by 4:35 am on the third day—providing a reasonably consistent timetable despite the detour.
In a separate but connected move, Central Railway has extended the Mumbai LTT–Dhanbad Special Fare Summer Special (03380/03379) by ten additional trips to accommodate growing seasonal demand. Originally scheduled to conclude on 26 June 2025, the train will now operate until 31 July 2025 in both directions. The extended service includes five extra weekly trips from LTT to Dhanbad (03380) between 3 July and 31 July, and the return (03379) from 1 July to 29 July. The railway officials confirmed that there would be no changes to the existing stoppages or train timings, preserving schedule integrity while expanding capacity.
