Uttarakhand announced on October 4 that the Railway Ministry had approved extending the Bandra Terminus–Delhi Sarai Rohilla Garib Rath Express to Haridwar, along with two air-conditioned express services linking Haridwar with Veraval and Okha. The state Information Department said Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had conveyed the decisions to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami by letter.
The October 4 official release identifies the approved services but does not give an inaugural date, operating days, departure times, intermediate stops or booking arrangements. It therefore establishes the state’s public disclosure of the approvals, rather than confirming that any of the services started carrying passengers that day. The release also does not state the date on which the ministry issued its letter.
Uttarakhand Morning Post and The Hawk separately reported the announcement on October 4, both referring to the minister’s letter. The proposed extension would add Haridwar to a service currently identified by its Bandra Terminus–Delhi Sarai Rohilla endpoints; the other two approvals concern connections with Gujarat. Detailed railway operating notices are still needed before passengers can rely on new schedules.
Dhami said the changes would help pilgrims, tourists, traders, students and other travellers. Those are the state government’s expected benefits. The available announcement does not provide a measured change in journey time, passenger capacity or fares.