Prime Minister Lays Foundation Stone for Rs 2,750 Crore Railway Projects in Odisha

During a special programme held at Bhubaneswar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone, inaugurated, and dedicated to the Nation several vital railway projects worth over Rs 2,750 crores. Apart from this, he also flagged off new trains from Boudh and Purunakatak through video conferencing. The projects aim to enhance rail infrastructure and regional connectivity in Odisha, fostering industrial development and improving logistics efficiency, safety, and passenger and freight movement.

Key Takeaways:

• Foundation stone laid for the 3rd & 4th Rail Line between Sarla - Sason (16 KM) at a cost of Rs 252 Crores, aiming to decongest the busy Jharsuguda-Sambalpur Rail section and foster industrial development in the region.
• New Railway Line between Sonepur - Purunakatak (73 KM) inaugurated, which is part of the Khurda Road - Balangir Rail Project (301 KM), connecting Boudh District Headquarters to the national railway network for the first time, fulfilling a long-standing aspiration of the people.
• Freight Train Maintenance Facility with Routine Overhauling of Wagons at Sarla (Rs 165 Cr) and Subway in Bamra-Dharuadihi section (Rs 10Cr) launched to enhance operational capacity and logistics efficiency.
• The Prime Minister flagged off new train services, including the *18313/18314 Boudh - Bhubaneswar New - Boudh Weekly Express* and *18311/18312 Sambalpur - Boudh - Sambalpur Weekly Express*, heralding a new era of rail connectivity for Boudh District in Western and Central Odisha.
• These projects and new train services represent a major step in realizing the vision of 'Viksit Bharat - Viksit Odisha'.

Statistics:

• Total cost of the railway projects: over Rs 2,750 crores
• Cost of the 3rd & 4th Rail Line between Sarla - Sason: Rs 252 Crores
• Length of the New Railway Line between Sonepur - Purunakatak: 73 KM
• Cost of the Khurda Road - Balangir Rail Project: Rs 1376 Crores
• Cost of the Freight Train Maintenance Facility with Routine Overhauling of Wagons at Sarla: Rs 165 Cr
• Length of the Link C-Dumetra section: 5 KM
• Cost of the Link C-Dumetra section of Bondamunda-Ranchi Doubling: Rs 98 Cr
• Cost of the Road Over Bridge (ROB) at Jaleswar: Rs 89 Cr
• Length of the 4th Rail Line between Jharsuguda - Jamga: 53 KM

Sources:

• https://images.odishatv.in/uploadimage/library/16_9/16_9_0/recent_photo_1750434960.webp
• Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Orissa TV