Cuttack Railway Station’s ‘Airport Look’ Wows Norwegian Ex-Minister; X Users React

Bhubaneswar: Former Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway Erik Solheim has praised the transformation of Indian Railways by sharing a video of Cuttack railway station in Odisha.

“This is not an airport; this is a railway station opened in Cuttack, Odisha,” he wrote in a post on his social media handle.

The nearly one-minute video, shared on X (formerly Twitter), presents a panoramic view of the completely spotless railway station in Cuttack with modern digital boards and well-maintained ticket counters. The station’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and peaceful atmosphere, resembling an airport, was a sharp contrast to the noise and crowding associated with most of the railway stations and reflected India’s commitment to modernising its rail transport system.

Erik Solheim has previously praised India several times under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The transformation project

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme was launched in February 2023 by the Ministry of Railways to redevelop 1309 stations nationwide. The redevelopment plan include modern passenger amenities, well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration, and signage to guide passengers. The design of the station buildings are inspired by local culture, heritage, and architecture. These will also have provisions for ballast-less tracks.

A total of 57 stations across Odisha are being redeveloped under the scheme at a cost of around Rs 3,000 crore. Twenty five stations are already in stages of development in the first phase. The work at Cuttack railway station, which began in April 2023, will showcase the city’s rich cultural heritage and Bali Yatra. The redeveloped three-storey station will have world-class amenities for passengers such as separate arrival and departure concourses, a large food court, and a modern retiring room. The inner walls of the station like those in the waiting area will have local tribal paintings.

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw  had earlier informed that Cuttack railway station will be redeveloped as a world-class station and Rs 303 crore have been sanctioned for it.

Here is how X users reacted to post:

“This is the Eastern gate . Western side and concourse is still under construction.”

“Yup India is improving each year exponentially and glad to see you shared our home city Cuttack’s new railway infrastructure.”

“Thanks to the Honble Railway Minister Aswini Baishnab who was also an ex-collector of Cuttack (sic).”

“It’s encouraging to see foreigners recognizing the positive changes in India. This boosts confidence and motivates the nation to work towards becoming a global leader.”

“they should have like spit stations where ppl who like take gudka or smt can like spit in peace uk. Cuz it’s an age old habit that makes the place less clean. It’s better to solve the problem than ignore it”

“Hope this maintained by the people. People destroying it should be penalised heavily”

“More focus should be on running the trains safely. Install Kavach in all stations, train employees,Scrutinise ticket checking and avoid ticketless travellers. Otherwise railways will lose revenue and those who paid won’t get what they paid for – be it any class including coupe.”