VARANASI: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday, October 31, 2026, that the new Ganga crossing near Namo Ghat will be called Namo Bridge, following an inspection of the bridge works and Kashi railway station redevelopment. The new development is the naming announcement for the crossing, which is intended to carry both road traffic and trains.
For residents and visitors using the Rajghat and Kashi station side of the riverfront, the project's significance is its planned connection between the station and a new road and rail crossing. The proposed arrangement places a six-lane highway above four railway tracks. The minister described the design as addressing transport requirements over the next 100 years.
People planning a journey should continue to check their actual station, train and available route. The naming announcement concerns a project under construction. It should not be treated as an instruction to use a new bridge today or as a revised boarding point for an existing train.
What changed at the riverfront review
Vaishnaw reviewed the works during his October 31 visit to Varanasi. Reports of the inspection identify the new crossing as the signature bridge being developed close to Namo Ghat and linked with the Kashi station project. The station connection is intended to improve the movement of passengers as well as railway operating capacity.
The Ministry of Railways used the Namo Bridge name in its official October 31 update, posted at 7:34 pm IST. That update also attributed the long-term connectivity objective to the railway minister. The name and the inspection were independently confirmed in reports published on October 31 and early on November 1.
The two decks serve different purposes within the same crossing. Four tracks on the lower level would provide rail capacity, while six road lanes above would accommodate highway movement. These are planned design features, rather than a count of tracks or lanes newly opened to traffic at the weekend.
- New announcement: the crossing will be called Namo Bridge.
- Location: the Ganga riverfront near Namo Ghat and Kashi railway station.
- Road design: six lanes on the upper deck.
- Rail design: four tracks on the lower deck.
- Stage described during the visit: construction and redevelopment review.
How the bridge fits the wider rail project
The crossing forms part of a longer effort to add capacity between Varanasi and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction. For background, the Cabinet's October 16, 2024 approval covered multitracking and a new rail-cum-road bridge across the Ganga. That earlier decision concerned Varanasi and Chandauli districts.
The approval explained the capacity problem in terms of a railway corridor carrying both passengers and freight. Coal, cement and foodgrains were among the goods named. The scheme included third and fourth railway lines, alongside the crossing, to reduce pressure on the existing route. The Cabinet record put the wider project's estimated cost at approximately Rs 2,642 crore at the time of approval.
That figure belongs to the earlier approved scheme. It is not presented here as a freshly revised bridge-only estimate. The distinction matters because Saturday's update supplies a new name and a progress review, while the earlier approval explains the broader work to which the crossing belongs.
What residents should do
When checking onward travel, distinguish Kashi station from Banaras station and use the station printed on the ticket. The bridge inspection and the separate train inauguration took place during the same ministerial visit, but they concern different facilities. Passengers should use current railway information for their particular service rather than infer a station change from a project announcement.
For related local background, see the earlier reports on the dated Banaras platform arrangements, river rescue preparations at Namo Ghat and the recent cruise arrival at Ramnagar. Those reports cover their own dates and do not establish an opening date for the new crossing.
