Pataliputra , the ancient name of Patna, was a place of learning and fine arts. The population of Pataliputra during the Maurya period , which existed somewhere about 300 BC, was about 400,000. As far as population is concerned , it is the second largest city in Eastern India. Patna is the capital of one of the states of India, Bihar. The ancient Patna was the capital of the Magadh Empire under the dynasties of Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Sunga, Gupta, Pala and Sun.

The present modern city of Patna is situated on the southern bank of the river Ganges. This famous city is extensively surrounded by the rivers Sone, Gandak and Punpun. The city is approximately covering an area of 35 km in length and about 17 km in breadth.

There are five major railway stations here. It is known as one of the major railway hubs in India. These five major railway stations are : Danapur Junction, Gulzarbagh, Patna Junction, Patna Sahib, and Rajendra Nagar Terminal. The station code for Patna Junction Railway Station in the Indian State of Bihar is PNBE. This railway station lies at one of the most busiest and most of the times over crowded railway routes in India in between the railway stations New Delhi and Kolkata.

The Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain pilgrimage centers are situated at Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodhgaya, and Pawapuri. These are nearby this city as well as it is also a sacred city for the Sikhs since the last Guru of this sect ,Guru Gobind Singh was born here. On the basis of the assumed average annual growth , Patna has been ranked the 21st fastest growing city in the world and 5th fastest growing city in India by the organization City Mayors Foundation Patna. It registered an average annual growth of about 3.7 % for the period from 2006-2010. These are a few of the reasons why this route is at most of the times in the year over crowded. Many a times it has been observed that people travel on the roofs of the trains and that too not in few numbers but in thousands and thousands.

Patna is very well and systematically connected with Gaya, Jahanabad, Biharsharif, Rajgir, Islampur through daily passenger and express rail services. Some time back the Indian Railways Department had floated tenders to construct five new deluxe toilets in each of the Patna’s railway station. The plan also will take care of the modernization of the Patna Junction railway station as well as it had included the construction of India’s longest road-cum-rail bridge on the banks of the Ganges nearby and this will connect Patna to Pahleja Ghat. It is very much expected, if everything goes well with the time, this bridge will get finished by the end of the year 2012. It is learnt through the sources that when completed it has to be about 4.5 kilometers long and hence it would be the longest road-cum-rail bridge in India and one of the longest in the world.

The major facilities available at the railway stations are waiting rooms, reservation counters, vehicle parking and many more. Generally the vehicles are allowed to enter the station premises. This station comes under East Central Zone. There are ten platforms at Patna Junction and all are interconnected with foot over-bridge. It is in Danapur Division. Facility of baggage checking is available too. Its elevation is about 190 ft.

It is a time of Metro for developing cities. So is for Patna also. Patna Metro is the proposed Mass Rapid Transit facility for the people of the city of Patna in one of the most famous states of India, Bihar. The Planning Commission of India gave its approval for Patna Metro somewhere in September 2011. This Metro Rail will be introduced under the public-private-partnership system on two routes namely Dak Bungalow Square to Saguna Mod and Danapur to Patna City. During the first phase Metro Rail Services will be provided between Patna and Danapur and then in the second phase it will be between Patna Junction and Digha. Both are a stretch of about 20 km. The system of Metro Rail in Patna will all the way be under elevated system.

The first route will be as- Saguna Mod –Baile Road-Dakbungalow Chowk-Frazer Road –Gandhi Maidan.

The second route will be as- Danapur-Digha – Kurji –Rajapul-Gandhi Maidan-Ashok Rajpath-Agamkuan-Didarganj.