Chhapra people get first electric train

CHHAPRA: The long-cherished dream of rail passengers to travel in a train attached with electrical engine was fulfilled on Monday when 15028 Gorakhpur-Hatia Maurya Express arrived at Chhapra Junction with well decorated engine and coaches.
The train passed through Siwan, Ekma and other stations in Saran division before reaching Chhapra. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off the train at Gorakhpur, the headquarters of N E Railway.
Prabhu, who was accompanied by Manoj Sinha, his junior colleague in the railway ministry, also laid the foundation for a second track in Chhapra-Balia section at Balia station in Uttar Pradesh.
The then railway minister, Lalu Prasad, had laid the foundation for electrification of Gorakhpur-Chhapra-Barauni section on May 3, 2008 at Chhapra. When Maurya Express arrived at Chhapra Junction on Monday, enthusiastic locals and passengers welcomed the train with bouquets of flowers. Some of them even boarded the train to travel a short distance between Chhapra Junction and Chhapra ‘kutchery’.