BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday requested Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to introduce a daily AC Express train between Mumbai and Puri/Khurda Road via Sambalpur and increase frequency of the existing weekly trains to cover all days of the week in order to facilitate smooth, comfortable and hassle-free journey of passengers.
In a letter to Prabhu, the CM said Mumbai is not well connected by trains with Odisha. In an earlier letter on March 31, 2017, Naveen had requested that a Humsafar type new AC Express train should be introduced from Khurda Road to Mumbai and named ‘Buxi Jagabandhu Express’ as a fitting tribute to the iconic leader Buxi Jagabandhu who led the Paika Rebellion in 1817.
The CM said, “As you know, Odisha is the epicentre of cultural heritage with Puri being one of the celebrated pilgrimage centre whereas Mumbai is the commercial capital of the country. There are enough reasons for both the places to connect with each other socially, economically and spiritually.’’
He said scores of people from Odisha are working in different sectors in Mumbai and they heavily depend on the railways for their journey. Besides, a large number of people from Maharashtra visit Odisha regularly. “Due to paucity of trains between Odisha and Maharashtra, people face a lot of hardship. Hence, there is a need for improving train connectivity between the two States to ameliorate the hardship and inconvenience faced by the public,” Naveen said.