India, Oct. 22 -- Dumka, Jharkhand's second capital and an important administrative centre in Santhal Pargana, continues to lag behind neighbouring Godda in long-distance railway connectivity, despite having entered the railway network more than a decade before its neighbour.

The contrast is striking. Godda, which received its first train in April 2021, has rapidly secured express services connecting it to major cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ranchi and Jamshedpur. Dumka, by comparison, remains heavily dependent on passenger trains and a limited number of long-distance services, forcing many residents to travel to other stations for convenient connections to major destinations.

Dumka's railway ambitions date back...