Two historical cities of Aligarh and Mathura, located just 60 km apart, have remained disconnected by railway for 79 years since independence. According to reports from PTI, Indian Railways has begun what is being called a final location survey to connect the two cities via the Medu junction on North Eastern railway's Mathura-Kasganj section. This development follows Mathura MP Hema Malini's proposal submitted to the central government on September 14, with discussions held between Railways officials and members of Parliament from the North Central Railway's Agra Division. The absence of a direct rail link has forced thousands of daily commuters onto alternate road transport networks, creating significant travel inconvenience between these prominent commercial and cultural nodes in western Uttar Pradesh.
As reported by PTI, Hema Malini stated that the proposed rail link will ease travel between the cities and reduce commuting time significantly. Janardhan Sharma, the MP representative of Hema Malini, confirmed that Railways officials have assured consideration of her demand to extend the Agra-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express to Mathura after development of adequate maintenance facilities for Vande Bharat trains at the station. The initiative advanced following interventions by Mathura Member of Parliament Hema Malini, who submitted a formal representation to the General Manager of North Central Railway on September 14, followed by divisional consultations involving North Central Railway General Manager Naresh Pal Singh and regional parliamentary representatives from the Agra Division. Passengers currently depend on alternate forms of transport and face inconvenience from longer journeys between the two cities.
According to reports from Live Hindustan, efforts are underway for multiple railway lines in Goda district. Plans to build a new line (15.72 km) stretching between Jhilahi and Tikri in Gonda district are being accelerated. A doubling project, Mankapur-Tikri (28.37 km wide with Y-connection at Mankapur), which was approved in 2025, is also being developed. The North Eastern Railway CPRO revealed that a gazette notification has been issued for land acquisition for doubling the track between Mankapur and Tikri railway stations and laying a new Y-shared line between Jhilahi and Tikri. These twin connectivity proposals underscore broader capital expenditure expansions within regional transit corridors, with formal sanctions, budgetary allocations, and construction timelines remaining pending final survey outcomes.
As reported by Live Hindustan, a Section 20F notification will be issued to acquire 3.19 hectares of land and work will begin once this acquisition is completed. The proposal for forest clearance for Tikri-Jhilahi section is in the process of submission on the Parivesh portal. Railway officials are currently camping in Tikri forest and trees are being cut from forests on both sides of the proposed railway line area. The publication cited the North Eastern Railway CPRO for these developments, with the final location survey covering the proposed line connecting Mathura and Aligarh via Medu junction on the Mathura-Kasganj section of the North Eastern Railway.
