State demands 12 new trains in railway budget

The State Government has demanded 12 new trains in the 2012-13 Railway Budget.

The new trains are, Bhubaneswar-Mumbai/Pune, Puri-Jeypore/Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar-Bangalore, Puri/Bhubaneswar-Surat (all Duronto express), Rourkela-New Delhi, Keonjhar-Howrah, Barbil-Visakhapatnam via Keonjhar and Bhubaneswar, Titlagarh-Bhubaneswar via Rayagada, Bhubaneswar-Shiridi daily express, passenger train service between Barbil-Puri and passenger service between Bhawanipatna-Bhubaneswar via Sambalpur.

In a letter to Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also demanded increase of frequency of several trains following persistent demand from the travelling public. The trains are, Bhubaneswar-Kurla-Lokamanya Tilak express, Puri-Ahmedabad express via Sambapur, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani express, Puri-Patna Baidyanath express and Puri-Guwahati express.

Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are being developed as twin cities and as per the comprehensive development plan prepared by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, the combined population will be 2.7 million by 2021.

Stating that this will necessitate a mass rapid transit system (MRTS), Naveen said that this was the appropriate time to commence detailed planning for rail based city transport system in greater Bhubaneswar region.

 Stating that the operationalisation of East Coast Railway (ECoR) has brought railway management closer to the people and problems of Odisha, the Chief Minister demanded extension of its jurisdiction to include Banspani-Padapahar section, Bhadrak-Laxmannath section in Khurda Road division and Jharsuguda-Barasuan-Kiriburu, Rourkela-Nuagaon and Jharsuguda-Himagiri sections in Sambalpur division. Besides, appropriate functional reorganisation of ECoR will necessitate the creation of a new railway division at Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, he said.

 The Chief Minister has demanded that the doubling work of Rayagada-Koraput and Kottavalsa-Kirandul broad gauge rail link should be sanctioned. He also said that the doubling work of Khurda Road-Puri link (phase-II), Raj Athgarh-Barang and Barang-Khurda Road third line should be expedited. These projects should be commissioned in 2012-13 with provision of enhanced budget, he said.

He demanded the electrification of Talcher-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda, Sambalpur-Titlagarh and Koraput-Rayagada railway lines should be sanctioned. He requested that execution of world class station at Bhubaneswar and Puri should be expedited. Railway stations at important district centres and major tourist destinations need special attention to provide multi-functional complexes and upgraded passenger amenities, he said.

The Chief Minister also sought introduction of DMU services in Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Rourkela and Berhampur-Balasore corridors. He said that a new train service from Puri to Pune and Mumbai via Sambalpur and Titlagarh has become essential.

Advocating for a self-sustainable and workable PPP initiatives in the coal and iron ore sectors, the Chief Minister has requested formulation of a suitable policy for attracting private investment in the development of dedicated rail corridors.