Biratnagar, January 3:

Indian Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is scheduled to inaugurate a fast train service from the border town of Jogbani to New Delhi on January 5.

Welcome gates have been constructed in Jogbani and security personnel have been deployed to check any untoward incident in the area.

The Indian railway department decided to operate the service after a broad gauge line

was constructed to join Jogbani. Direct rail service from Jogbani to Kolkata has been in operation for six months.

Lalu Yadav will arrive here via a special Northern Railway train at 2:55 pm to inaugurate the service. Regular Delhi-Jogbani service will, however, start only after four days of the inaugural function. ‘Super fast’ train will chug on the 1700km line once the service commences.

Until now, people have been catching a local train for Katihar before boarding one to New Delhi.

Operation schedule has also been prepared. To begin with, a train will leave Jogbani for

Delhi every Friday while one will leave Delhi for Jogbani every Wednesday. The train will have 12 sections containing sleeping and general classes.

Time for the operation of the service is yet to be fixed. Presently, Jogbani-Kolkata train operates every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2:35 pm.

Businessmen say they had been waiting for the rail service for long and it would have a positive impact in the area.