Bhubaneswar: A record Rs 10,928 crore has been allocated for railways in Odisha in Union Budget 2026–27, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed on Monday.
This is a part of the overall highest-ever allocation for Indian Railways, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earmarking approximately Rs 2.78 lakh crore for the national railway network. This includes a capital expenditure plan of Rs 2.93 lakh crore, reflecting the government’s continued emphasis on modernising railways, enhancing safety, and expanding connectivity.
Addressing a presser, Vaishnaw, who represents Odisha in the Rajya Sabha, highlighted that projects worth Rs 90,659 crore are currently underway across the state, which include new railway lines and doubling works, station modernisation, safety upgrades including Kavach deployment with 772 route kilometres in progress out of a total sanctioned 2,922 route kilometres, and electrification. “When the double-engine government came into power in Odisha in 2024, we had assured the peopl
e of Rs 1 lakh crore worth of new railway projects over the next five years. So far, projects worth Rs 90,659 crore have been started. With this fresh allocation, the total investment would cross Rs 1 lakh crore,” he added, elaborating in Odia.
The Railway Minister said that Odisha will gain significantly from the proposed East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor. This 2,052-km corridor will connect Dankuni in West Bengal with Surat in Gujarat. “It will pass through Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The corridor will boost industrial development and economic activity across Odisha,” he noted.
The project will integrate with the existing Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, improving logistics efficiency and supporting industrial growth in mineral-rich and industrial regions.
He informed that six Vande Bharat and an equal number of Amrit Bharat trains are currently operating in Odisha. “In the last 11 years, around 2,200 km of new railway tracks have been constructed, which exceeds the total railway network of Malaysia,” he said.
In a move focused on wildlife conservation, Vaishnaw revealed plans to install AI-based thermal cameras along railway tracks to detect and prevent collisions with elephants. “It will be launched within 6 months. Besides, 200 spots have been identified across the country for construction of underpasses to allow for smooth movement of the elephants,” he added.