Bhubaneswar: Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal in his budget 2013-14 introduced 67 express trains, 26 passenger trains, 5 Mainline Electrical Multiple Units (MEMUs) and 8 DEMUs out of which only 6 trains will be given to Odisha. Once again, the state remained the neglected in Railway due to step-motherly treatment by the Centre.
Bansal announced new Raipur-Jharsuguda railway line besides announcing to set up wagon maintenance unit at Kalahandi. Only six express trains will run from/to/via different stations in Odisha, four trains will be extended to other stations and only one train’s frequency will be increased.
Express Trains:
Bhubaneswar – Hazrat Nizamuddin Express (Weekly) Via Sambalpur
Howrah – Chennai AC Express (Bi-weekly) Via Bhadrak, Duvvada, Gudur
Puri – Sai Nagar Shirdi Express (Weekly) Via Sambalpur, Titlagarh, Raipur, Nagpur, Bhusawal
Puri –Ajmer Express (Weekly) Via Abu-Road
Tirupati – Bhubaneswar Express (Weekly) Via Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam – Jodhpur Express (Weekly) Via Titlagarh, Raipur
Extension of Trains:
Bhubaneswar – Bhawanipatna Express to Junagarh
Lokmanya Tilak (T)-Bhubaneswar Express to Puri
Guwahati-Ernakulam Express to Thiruvananthapuram
Puri-Darbhanga Express to Jayanagar
Increase in Frequency:
18309/18310 Sambalpur-Hazoor Saheb Nanded Express 2 to 3 days