BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar railway station is set to get a complete makeover by November and the redeveloped station will be inaugurated in December this year, informed Union minister of state for Railways and Jal Shakti V Somanna.
Somanna, who is on a two-day visit to the state, conducted an extensive inspection of the ongoing construction works at Bhubaneswar station on Saturday and Puri station on Sunday. The city station is being redeveloped at a cost of Rs 398 crore, and over 80 per cent work has been completed so far.
“Construction works are underway on both sides of the station. The station building will be a five-storey building with airport-like facilities, including executive lounges, and designated spaces for commercial use and landscaping,” he said.
The redevelopment of the Bhubaneswar railway station is part of a larger effort by the Ministry of Railways to modernise 59 railway stations across Odisha at a total cost of Rs 2,379 crore. Major allocations include Rs 348 crore for Sambalpur, Rs 303 crore for Cuttack, Rs 197 crore for Balasore and Rs 177 crore for Puri. Speaking to mediapersons during the inspection of Puri station on the day, Somanna said Odisha is receiving significantly higher budgetary support for development of railways under the Narendra Modi-led government. “The state has been allocated Rs 10,599 crore in the 2025-26 railway budget, nearly 12.5 times higher than the average of Rs 838 crore per year during the 2009-2014 period,” he said.
The state has seen the completion of 4,046 km of new railway lines and 522 road over bridges (ROBs) and road under bridges (RUBs), alongside 100 per cent railway electrification in the last 10 years. Six Vande Bharat trains are now operating in the state, connecting 17 districts.
“The Centre has planned to invest Rs 50,000 crore for the development of Odisha’s railway infrastructure, including 1,200 km of new lines and 2,100 km of multi-tracking, by 2030,” the Union minister said.
East Coast Railway general manager Parmeshwar Funkwal and other senior officials were present during the minister’s visit to the Bhubaneswar station.