3 Trains from (MOU)MANOHARPUR to (TLD)TILDA

 Flags off Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah

Dedicates 100% electrification of rail network in Odisha

Lays foundation stone for redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations

“India’s speed and progress can be seen whenever a Vande Bharat Train runs”

“The Indian Railway connects and weaves everyone together in a thread”

“India has maintained the speed of its development despite extremely adverse global circumstances”

“New India is creating technology indigenously and also taking that to every nook and corner of the country”

“Odisha is o­ne of those states in the country where 100 percent electrification of rail lines has been achieved”

“Infrastructure not o­nly makes people’s lives easier but also empowers society”

 â€œCountry is moving with the spirit of ‘Jan Seva hi Prabhu Seva’ - Service of people is the service of god

“Balanced development of the states is necessary for the rapid development of India”

“Central government is paying full attention to ensure that Odisha can successfully combat natural calamities”

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation, several railway projects worth more than Rs 8000 crores in Odisha via video conferencing today. The projects include flagging off the Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah, laying the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations, dedication of 100% electrification of the rail network in Odisha, doubling of the Sambalpur-Titlagarh rail line,  a new broad gauge rail line between Angul - Sukinda; the third line connecting Manoharpur - Rourkela - Jharsuguda - Jamga and a new broad-gauge line between Bichhupali - Jhartarbha.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister remarked that the people of Odisha and West Bengal are being presented the Vande Bharat Express today which is a symbol of modern and aspirational India. “India’s speed and progress can be seen whenever a Vande Bharat Train runs from o­ne place to another”, the Prime Minister said as he noted that this pace can now be witnessed in the states of Odisha and West Bengal. The Prime Minister said that this will entirely change the meaning of development along with the experience of traveling for the passengers. Be it traveling from Kolkata to Puri for darshan or the other way round, the Prime Minister informed that the travel time will now be reduced to o­nly six and half hours, thereby saving time, giving rise to business opportunities and providing new opportunities for the youth.

The Prime Minister noted that the railway is the first choice and priority for any citizen who wishes to travel afar and mentioned the other railway development projects whose foundation stone has been laid today including the redevelopment and modernization of Puri and Cuttack Railway Stations, along with the dedication of doubling of rail lines in the region and 100 percent electrification of rail lines in Odisha. 

Referring to the era of Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to strengthen the unity and integrity of the country and said that the collective capabilities of the country can reach the pinnacle if the country remains totally united. He remarked that the Vande Bharat Express is a reflection of such belief where it is becoming the engine of development for the country while forwarding the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’. “The Indian Railway connects and weaves everyone together in a thread and the Vande Bharat Express will also move forward with the same idea and thought”, the Prime Minister said. He further added that the train will strengthen the spiritual and cultural connection between Puri and Howrah. The Prime Minister informed that fifteen Vande Bharat Trains are already running in various states of the country giving a push to the economy of the country

The Prime Minister said that in recent times India has maintained the speed of its development despite extremely adverse circumstances. Shri Modi credited the participation of every state in this journey and said that the country is moving forward taking every state along. The Prime Minister said that, unlike earlier times, New India is creating technology indigenously and also taking that to every nook and corner of the country. Referring to the indigenous origins of Vande Bharat Trains, the Prime Minister mentioned that India has developed technology like 5G and vaccines during the pandemic. He underlined that these innovations never remained limited to o­ne state or city but were taken throughout the country in an equal manner. Similarly, He said Vande Bharat is touching all corners of the country.

The Prime Minister said that this policy of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is benefitting those states, which lagged behind in development. He said that the budget for railway schemes in Odisha has increased significantly. He informed that in 10 years before 2014, o­nly 20 km of Railway Lines were laid annually in the state, while in the year 2022-23, 120 km long lines were laid in just o­ne year. He said long pending projects like the Khurda Bolangir line, and the Haridaspur-Paradip line,  are being completed rapidly.

“Odisha is o­ne of those states in the country where 100 percent electrification of rail lines has been achieved”, the Prime Minister remarked as he informed that work is underway at a fast pace to achieve the same feat in West Bengal. This, the Prime Minister said, has resulted in the overall increase in the speed of trains as well as saved time for freight trains. He noted that the mineral-rich state of Odisha will greatly benefit from the electrification of rail lines where pollution emanating from diesel engines will be significantly reduced and help in the industrial development of the state.

The Prime Minister also touched upon another aspect of building infrastructure which is not talked about as much. He said that infrastructure not o­nly makes people’s lives easier but also empowers society. “The development of the people lags behind when there is a lack of infrastructure. When infrastructure is developed, the rapid development of the people takes place simultaneously”, the Prime Minister said. Highlighting the development initiatives, the Prime Minister gave the example of PM Saubhagya Yojana where the Government has provided free electricity connections to more than 2.5 crore households including about 25 lakh houses in Odisha and 7.25 lakh houses in West Bengal.

Informing that the number of airports in the country increased from 75 to 150 today, the Prime Minister drew attention to the various photographs and videos o­n social media where ordinary citizens of the country can be seen sharing their air travel experience 

The Prime Minister said that India's achievements in the field of infrastructure are the subject of studies today. He said when 10 lakh crores are allocated for infrastructure, that creates lakhs of jobs and railway and highway connectivity goes beyond ease of travel and connects farmers with new markets, tourists with new attractions and students with their preferred colleges.

The Prime Minister said that the country is moving with the spirit of ‘Jan Seva hi Prabhu Seva’ - Service of people is the service of god. He mentioned Temples like Jagannath and places of pilgrimage like Puri where Prasad has been distributed for centuries and thousands of poor people are fed. He said in the same spirit initiatives like PM Garib Kalyan Scheme providing free ration to 80 crore people and schemes like Ayushman Card, Ujwalla, Jal Jeevan Mission and PM Awas Yojana. “Today the poor are getting all those basic facilities for which they had to wait for years”, he said.

“Balanced development of the states is equally necessary for the rapid development of India”, the Prime Minister said as he highlighted the nation’s endeavor that no state should lag behind in the race of development due to lack of resources. That is why, the Prime Minister said, the 15th Finance Commission recommended higher budgets for states like Odisha and West Bengal. Noting that Odisha has been blessed with vast natural wealth but was deprived of its own resources due to faulty policies, the Prime Minister highlighted that the Government reformed the mining policy keeping in mind the mineral wealth which led to the considerable increase in the revenue of all the states possessing mineral wealth. He also mentioned that the income from tax has also increased after the introduction of GST. The Prime Minister stressed that the resources are being used for the development of the state and for the service of the poor in the villages. “The central government is paying full attention to ensure that Odisha can successfully combat natural calamities”, the Prime Minister said as he informed that the Government has provided more than 8 thousand crore rupees to the state for disaster management and NDRF.

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the pace of development in Odisha, West Bengal and the entire country will get a boost and we as a nation will achieve the goal of a new and developed India.

Governor of Odisha, Shri Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister for Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan were present o­n the occasion among others.

Background

The Prime Minister flagged off the Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah. The train will pass through Khordha, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts in Odisha and Paschim Medinipur, and Purba Medinipur districts in West Bengal. The train will provide a faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience for rail users, boost tourism and promote economic development in the region.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations. The redeveloped stations will have all modern amenities providing a world-class experience to the rail passengers.

The Prime Minister dedicated 100% electrification of the rail network in Odisha. This will reduce the operating and maintenance cost and reduce reliance o­n imported crude oil. The Prime Minister also dedicated the doubling of the Sambalpur-Titlagarh rail line; a new broad gauge rail line between Angul-Sukinda; the third line connecting Manoharpur-Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Jamga and a new broad-gauge line between Bichhupali-Jhartarbha. These will cater to the increased traffic demands as a result of rapid industrial development in the steel, power & mining sectors in Odisha and will also help ease the pressure o­n passenger traffic in these rail sections.

Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve, Hon’ble Minister of State of Railways, Coal & Mines, Government of India flagged-off Inaugural special train No. 07414 Jalna – Tirupati (via, Parbhani, ParliVaijnath, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Guntakal) at a function held at Jalna Railway Station o­n today i.e., 30^th October, 2022 in the august presence of Shri Narayan Kuche, Hon’ble Member of Legislative Assembly, Badnapur, other Public representatives and Senior Railway Officials.

Speaking o­n the occasion, ShriRaosahebPatilDanve stated that, a long cherished dream of the people of Marathwada region has been fulfilled today with the inauguration of special train between Jalna – Tipurati – Jalna and he appealed the passengers to utilize this opportunity to have Balajidarshan. He also stated that, it is very convenient train for the pilgrims who visit Tirumala. The Special train starts at 11.50 hrs o­n Sunday from Jalna and reaches Tirupati at 09.05 hrs o­n Monday. In the return direction, the train starts at 18.30 hrs from Tirupati o­n Tuesday and reaches Jalna at 18.00 hrs o­n Wednesday. He said that the current Government is giving special focus by increasing the allocation for rail development projects by nearly 10 times compared to previous Governments. He assured that he will continue to work for the development of the region, fulfilling the confidence reposed by them.

Indian Railways has been continuously introducing additional special trains so as to meet the travel aspirations of rail passengers towards different regions in the country. Accordingly, South Central Railway also fulfilling the demand of the rail passengers from the Marathwada region to have an additional travel facility to pilgrim town Tirupati, a special weekly train has been introduced between Jalna – Tirupati– Jalna via Parli, Bidar, Humnabad&Raichur. This meets the travel aspirations of passengers travelling between Marathwada and various destinations in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as well. The newly introduced weekly special train will run with LHB coaches which provide easy, safe and convenient travel option for the passengers. Initially 6 trips will be run during the months of October, November & December.

Highlights

 vProvides additional travel facility to pilgrim passengers travelling to Temple Town Tirupati.

vConnects the new destinations in Karnataka viz., Humnabad, Kalaburagi and Wadi with Marathwada region through direct train facility.

vCaters the needs of the people travelling to important towns in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh like Yadgir, Raichur, Mantralayam, Guntakal, Kadapa etc.

vProvides safe, cost effective and comfortable transportation for the rail passengers.

vSuitable to all segment of passengers – both reserved and unreserved

vConsists of both AC & Non AC classes

vThere will be ample time for the passengers to visit Lord Balaji Temple and return back by the same train. This is because the train reaches early hours of Monday at Tirupati and in return journey starts in the Tuesday evening again from Tirupati.

vThe train is being operated with modern LHB coaches providing comfort and enhanced travel experience for the passengers.

vThe train composition consists of First AC, Second AC, Third AC, II Sleeper and Second General class coaches.

*The details of the weekly regular special train services between Jalna – Tirupati – Jalnaalong with dates & their station-wise timings are as follows:

*These trains will consist of o­ne First AC; Four AC II tier; Ten AC III tier; Two Sleeper Class Coaches and Two General Second Seating Coaches.