Re#10: I've been on that road a few years ago, and on the Patna-Aurangabad road, too. Absolutely pathetic condition.

On the contrary I've come across much better roads in Rohtas, of course excluding the NH-2 around Dehri. I took the attached photo while riding on a village road near Pahleja (PHE/ECR), quite good.

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MP is also the same, either you cross from Prayagraj for Rewa or from Etawah for Gwalior, the stark difference is clearly visible. And Jharkhand depends on private bus operators even for long distance travel.

WB has some good EMU network in the areas near to Kolkata, rest everywhere is dependent on the single digit trains. No doubt most of the train related demands are from these states/regions, I think it's justified.

Re#15: Not only expressways or bigger cities, UP roadways buses runs for even smaller places in decent frequency. And there are few ICEs at peak timings, too.

I think if not a dedicated EMU system for Patna-Gaya, ECR can run a few trains in bunch to decrease the load on the overcrowded regular trains. It's not like that route is burdened with trains.

But expecting something like that from ECR/DNR is still a long shot.