Sambalpur: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that a decision has been taken to extend the Gorakhpur-Hatia Maurya Express till Sambalpur.
“The extension of Gorakhpur-Hatia Express train will benefit the passengers of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts,” he said, while inspecting Sambalpur railway station here.
As per the tentative train schedule, 15028 Gorakhpur-Hatia Maurya Express will arrive at 1.50 pm at Sambalpur railway station and 15027 Hatia-Gorakhpur Maurya Express will depart from Sambalpur at 9.35 am. It will have stoppages at Rourkela, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur railway stations in Odisha.
Notably, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier requested Vaishnaw to take steps for the extension of the train services to Odisha. He had written two letters to his cabinet colleague on December 9, 2022, and on January 3, 2024, seeking extension of Hatia-Gorakhpur Maurya Express up to Sambalpur and introduction of a new train from Sambalpur to Gorakhpur via Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Tata.
Dharmedra and Vaishnaw are scheduled to attend the inauguration of the permanent campus of IIM, Sambalpur, at Basantpur by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this afternoon, during which he will also dedicate to nation and lay foundation stone of projects worth more than Rs 68,000 crore.
Also Read: PM Modi To Arrive In Odisha This Afternoon; Check His Itinerary
The Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of railway projects worth about Rs 2146 crore, which include redevelopment of Sambalpur railway station, whose architecture is inspired from Sailashree Palace. He will also dedicate the Sambalpur- Talcher Doubling Railway Line (168 km) and Jhartarbha to Sonepur New Railway line (21.7 km), enhancing the rail network capacity in the region. He will also flag off Puri-Sonepur-Puri Weekly Express, which will improve connectivity for the rail passengers in the region. This will be the first train to Sonepur district.
Also Read: PM Modi To Flag Off First Train To Odisha’s Sonepur Tomorrow; Know Timings, Stoppages
