CHANDIGARH: All railway stations in Haryana will be modernized and given a new look in accordance with the religious and cultural importance of that particular area. As per the government’s plan, the design of Kurukshetra railway station would have the theme of Gita and Lord Krishna. This was stated by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar at an event to flag off a new train between Kurukshetra and Mathura at Kurukshetra on Friday, in which Union minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu was also present. A foundation stone was laid at the railway station for the upgradation of passenger amenities at the railway station.The chief minister said Haryana and Railways have formed a joint venture company for the development of rail infrastructure in the state., and all new projects in the state would be undertaken with the assistance of this company. Khattar said all manned and unmanned crossings in the state would be replaced either with underpasses or railway overbridges. He said he had met Prabhu a fortnight ago during the International Gita Mahotsav-2016, and requested him to start a new train between Kurukshetra and Mathura, which the minister had accepted immediately.The chief minister said the state government provides financial assistance to pilgrims who intend to undertake religious yatras. This year, the government has provided financial assistance to the pilgrims for visiting for Sindhu Darshan in Leh Ladakh and for Kailash Mansarovar . Now, by expanding the scope of this facility, it has also been decided to provide financial assistance to those visiting Nankana Sahib (Pakistan) and other religious destinations. The Union minister said assistance of a French company was being taken for the modernisation of Ambala railway station. Work has also been started on raising the speed of trains on the Delhi-Chandigarh route.Gita Jayanti Express: CMThe new express train (11901/11902) would run between Kurukshetra and Mathura five days a week. It would depart from Kurukshetra at 2.55pm, and reach Mathura at 9.40pm after passing through the railways stations of Karnal, Panipat, Samalkha, Sonipat, Subzi Mandi, New Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Faridabad, Palwal, Kosikalan and Chhata. On its return journey, the train would start from Mathura at 5.30am and reach Kurukshetra at 12.40pm. The train would cover 298km in 7.10 hours. It would have 12 Deen Dayal coaches equipped with the latest facilities. The chief minister urged the Union railways minister to name the new train as Gita Jayanti Express , and run it on all seven days a week, when fairs are organized at Kurukshetra and Mathura. He also requested a train halt at Vrindavan Road.