BHUBANESWAR: In a major boost to rail connectivity in the state, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday flagged off the Puri-Koraput Express from Puri railway station and the Berhampur-Udhna (Surat) Amrit Bharat Express from Berhampur railway station, marking the commencement of its daily operation in place of the existing tri-weekly service.
Speaking on the occasion, Majhi said the Puri-Koraput Express train will run three days a week and connect eastern, western and southern Odisha. This train will be a blessing for people of southern and western Odisha who wish to visit Puri for darshan of Lord Jagannath or come to Bhubaneswar for any work. “Today is a historic day for all of Odisha as a new train service has started from Srikhetra Puri to Sabar Srikhetra Koraput,” he added.
The chief minister said the Puri railway station is also being redeveloped at a cost of Rs 184 crore to provide better experience to pilgrims visiting the town from different parts of the country. Majhi, who belongs to Keonjhar district, requested Vaishnaw to introduce a similar train service from north Odisha. The Railway minister announced that a new train connecting north Odisha with Puri would be introduced soon.
Addressing the gathering, Vaishnaw said there had been a long-standing demand for a train connecting coastal Odisha with the western and southern parts of the state during the daytime. “Only the Hirakhand Express runs from Bhubaneswar to Koraput, and that too at night. Therefore, there was a demand for a daytime train service,” he said.
The express train will pass through Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Angul, Sambalpur, Bargarh Road, Balangir, Titlagarh, Kesinga, Muniguda, Rayagada, Kakiriguma and Damanjodi. The train will run from Puri on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and from Koraput on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
At Berhampur, the chief minister said the upgradation of the Amrit Bharat Express from Berhampur to Udhna will strengthen Odisha’s emotional, cultural, and economic ties with Surat and Gujarat in general. “Lakhs of workers and businessmen from Odisha are living in Surat and playing an important role in the textile and diamond industries there. This will further strengthen the relationship between Gujarat and Odisha,” he said.
Vaishnaw announced that the Berhampur railway station it will be developed into a world-class railway station under the Amrit Bharat station scheme with a cost of Rs 300 crore.
Earlier, Majhi and Vaishnaw inspected the ongoing redevelopment of Puri railway station under the Amrit Bharat station scheme and reviewed Railways’ preparedness for the ongoing Rath Yatra. Vaishnaw participated in a video-conferencing programme from Rail Sadan, Bhubaneswar, where he simultaneously flagged off the Nanded-Mumbai and Tanakpur-Nanded Express trains and inaugurated the extension of the Tanakpur-Pilibhit train service up to Shahjahanpur.