Puri: A new express train between Puri and Koraput was flagged off by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday.
The newly-launched 18407/18408 Puri-Koraput Express will operate as a tri-weekly service, providing a direct rail link between the coastal pilgrim town of Puri and the tribal-dominated Koraput in Southern Odisha.
According to the official timetable, the train will depart Puri at 7 am on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, reaching Koraput at 11.30 pm the same day.
On the return journey, it will leave Koraput at 5 am on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and arrive in Puri at 10.20 pm.
Officials said enhanced rail connectivity is expected to improve market access for local producers, facilitate movement of value-added products such as Koraput Coffee, promote tourism, and create new economic opportunities for the tribal communities of the region. Together, the train and the coffee reflect a shared vision of inclusive development – where better infrastructure empowers local enterprise and takes Odisha’s tribal products to wider national and global markets.
They said the Kruti Koraput Coffee pack is not just a premium regional product, but also the success of tribal entrepreneurship, sustainable agriculture and improved connectivity.
Grown in the Eastern Ghats of Koraput, the coffee is primarily shade-grown Arabica, cultivated by tribal farmers using environmentally sustainable practices. Its distinctive chocolate and nutty flavour profile has earned national recognition and helped establish Koraput as an emerging specialty coffee destination.
The coffee represents a transformative livelihood initiative, with thousands of tribal farmers and women participating across cultivation, processing, packaging and marketing, creating sustainable incomes while conserving the region’s biodiversity.
The launch of the Puri–Koraput Express complements this success by strengthening connectivity between Koraput and major commercial centres across Odisha
Important stoppages and timings
Train No. 18407 (Puri-Koraput Express)
• Puri: 7.00 am
• Khordha Road: 8.05 am/8.10 am
• Bhubaneswar: 8.30 am/8.35 am
• Sambalpur: 1.20 pm/1.30 pm
• Titlagarh: 4.25 pm/4.35 pm
• Kesinga: 4.53 pm/4.55 pm
• Rayagada: 7.45 pm/8.15 pm
• Koraput: 11.30 pm (Arrival)
Train No. 18408 (Koraput-Puri Express)
• Koraput: 5.00 am
• Rayagada: 9.00 am/9.30 am
• Kesinga: 11.20 am/11.22 am
• Titlagarh: 11.40 am/11.50 am
• Sambalpur: 2.50 pm/3.00 pm
• Bhubaneswar: 8.15 pm/8.20 pm
• Khordha Road: 8.50 pm/8.55 pm
• Puri: 10.20 pm (Arrival)
Apart from these major stations, the train will have commercial stoppages at Naraj Marthapur, Dhenkanal, Talacher Road, Aungola, Boinda, Redhakhol, Bargad Road, Balangir, Muniguda, Tikiri, Laxmipur Road, Kakiriguma and Damanjodi.
