BHUBANESWAR: The recent rail journey experience shared by former chief secretary Pradeep Jena has brought the dismal passenger train puntuality in Odisha under sharp focus.
Jena, who was travelling to Rourkela in an Intercity Super Fast Express on November 4, shared that the train started around 1.30 hour late and reached the destination nearly 4.15 hours late.
Venting out his displeasure over the harrowing experience, Jena claimed that there was something seriously wrong with train operations within the Khurda division. The retired IAS officer’s testimonial has put the train performance under scanner, particularly those under the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone.
Data related to punctuality performance of different railway zones between 2017-18 and 2026-27 (till August this year) reveal that the ECoR zone has recorded one of the lowest punctuality rates in the recent years. ECoR’s performance stood well between 2017-18 and 2020-21, with adherence to schedule remaining one of the highest at around 95.82 per cent in 2020-21. However 2021-22 onwards, there has been a gradual decline, with punctuality shrinking to the lowest 43.40 per cent in 2026-27 up to August this year.
The ECoR zone recorded a punctuality rate of 89.23 pc in 2021-22, which further declined to 78.37 pc in 2022-23. It further dwindled to 62.53 pc in 2023-24 and 62.36 pc in 2024-25. In 2025-26, the performance further dropped to around 58.52 pc, making it the second lowest among all 18 zones. In the current (2026-27) fiscal till August, the punctuality performance of ECoR was 43.40 pc, the lowest among all the railway zones.
The Western Railway (WR) zone remained on top in 2025-26 with punctuality performance of 95.97 pc, while North Western Railway (NWR) zone has been on top in 2026-27, with a punctuality rate of 94.80 pc.
Subhas Panigrahi, a senior journalist, said passengers have been facing inconvenience on a regular basis owing to delay of trains in Sambalpur division of ECoR. He alleged that many trains, including Super Fast Expresses often halted near Lapanga railway station to give way to freight trains.
As per ECoR statistics, passenger earnings reached Rs 1,079.30 crore up to September 2026, compared with Rs 914.62 crore during the corresponding period last year. The average earnings per passenger in the zone has also reportedly increased from around Rs 240 to Rs 278, registering a rise of around 16 per cent in the first six months of 2026-27 FY. During 2025-26, ECoR carried 97.64 million passengers, generating revenue of Rs 2,536.44 crore.
A total of 1,598 special trains were operated during the year, while LHB coach augmentation was carried out in 18 trains, 21 coaches and 16 rakes. ECoR sources, however, said several factors, including track maintenance, infrastructure upgradation, track modernisation and safety related works were leading to congestion, speed restrictions and operational constraints, affecting train movement in the zone.
“Speed limit imposed in elephant corridors, including a few stretches on the main line, remains one of the major factors. Besides, ongoing track modernisation and safety related works in some stretches are also causing congestion,” an official said.
ECoR sources pointed out that Odisha’s vulnerability to calamities was also another reason.