Sambalpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the inaugural Puri-Sonepur-Puri Weekly Express during his visit one-day visit to Odisha’s Sambalpur on Saturday.
PM Modi also dedicate the Sambalpur-Talcher Doubling Railway Line (168 km) built at a cost over Rs 1530 crore. It will decongest traffic on Kharagpur-Jharsuguda junction and augment coal transport from Angul coal belt areas to nearby industries. He also laid the foundation stone for redevelopment of Sambalpur railway station. Inspired by Sailashree Palace in Balangir, the revamped railway station will modern facilities will provide passengers an easy and comfortable commute.
With the introduction of the weekly express, Sonepur district has now been added to the map of the railway network. It will connect four western Odisha districts of Sonepur, Balangir, Bargarh and Sambalpur, benefitting students, farmers, pilgrims and traders of the region. “Now, people of the region can take this train for darshan of Lord jagannath in Puri,” the PM said.
According to sources, regular service of the weekly train will commence from February 8. The Puri-Sonepur Express will run on Thursdays while Sonepur-Puri train service will be available on Fridays. The train will leave Puri at 7.25 pm on Thursdays and reach Sonepur at 5.30 am on Fridays. In the return direction, it will depart from Sonepur at 7.30 pm on Fridays and reach Puri at 6.55 am on Saturdays.
The train will have stoppages at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Naraj Marthapur, Dhenkanal, Talcher, Angul, Boinda, Rairakhol, Sambalpur, Bargarh Road, Balangir, Bichhupali, Jhartarbha and Narsinghgarh between Puri and Sonepur.
