Puri–Koraput Express Flagged Off, Surat Train Goes Daily

Bhubaneswar: Odisha received a major boost to its railway network on Saturday with the launch of new train services, expansion of an existing long-distance route and fresh infrastructure announcements, as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at improving connectivity across the state.

The Chief Minister and the Railway Minister jointly flagged off the inaugural Puri–Koraput Express Special from Puri Railway Station, while the Brahmapur–Udhna (Surat) Amrit Bharat Express Inaugural Special was flagged off from Brahmapur Railway Station. The Surat-bound service has also been upgraded from a tri-weekly to a daily train, addressing a long-standing demand of passengers, particularly migrant workers and traders.

Simultaneously, Vaishnaw, through a video conference from Rail Sadan in Bhubaneswar, flagged off the Nanded–Mumbai Express and Tanakpur–Nanded Express, besides inaugurating the extension of the Tanakpur–Pilibhit train up to Shahjahanpur.

The newly introduced Puri–Koraput Express will provide direct rail connectivity between the coastal pilgrim city and the tribal-dominated Koraput region for the first time. The service is expected to benefit pilgrims, tourists, students, patients and traders while strengthening connectivity across coastal, western and southern Odisha through major stations including Bhubaneswar, Angul, Sambalpur, Balangir, Titlagarh, Rayagada and Damanjodi.

According to railway officials, the service will operate as regular Train No. 18407/18408 Puri–Koraput–Puri Express, departing from Puri on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and from Koraput on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The daily operation of the Brahmapur–Udhna Amrit Bharat Express is expected to improve travel convenience between Odisha and Gujarat while enhancing connectivity with Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Officials said the service would support migrant workers, students, business travellers and tourists by providing more frequent travel options to key industrial and commercial centres.

During the visit to Puri, the Chief Minister and the Railway Minister also inspected the ongoing redevelopment of Puri Railway Station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. They reviewed the station modernisation works as well as railway preparedness for the ongoing Rath Yatra, with special focus on crowd management, passenger movement and public amenities.

Railway officials informed that more than 300 special trains have been planned for the Rath Yatra period. Holding areas with a capacity of over 30,000 devotees have been created, while additional ticket counters, strengthened food distribution systems and enhanced passenger safety arrangements have been put in place to facilitate smooth travel during the annual festival.

At Brahmapur, Vaishnaw announced that Brahmapur Railway Station will be redeveloped into a world-class station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at an estimated cost of around ₹300 crore. The project will include modern passenger facilities, improved accessibility, contemporary station architecture and seamless multimodal connectivity. He said he would return to Brahmapur to lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment project.

The Railway Minister also announced that a new train service would soon be introduced for North Odisha, responding to long-standing public demand for improved rail connectivity in the region. He said the proposed service would further strengthen the state’s rail network by extending improved connectivity to northern districts, complementing recent expansions in coastal, western and southern Odisha.