On Saturday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the 18 km stretch of Gopinathpur Nilgiri-Balasore passenger railway line. He also flagged off a newly introduced MEMU train.
Between Gopinathpur Nilgiri and Balasore, the MEMU train in the South Eastern Railway division will operate thrice a day.
Vaishnaw flagged off the train at Gopinathpur Nilgiri railway station. He said that each year, Odisha on average gets Rs 10,000 crore for the development of railway infrastructure under the present central government.
For the development of railways, Odisha is getting PM Modi’s special attention, the minister added.
An official of South Eastern Railway said that three pairs of MEMU passenger specials will run on a daily basis. From January 14, they will run between Gopinathpur Nilgiri and Balasore. In total, the trains will have eight coaches (two motor coaches and six trailer coaches).
In 1909, the old railway track was built by the British. From the Niligiri area to Kolkata via Balasore, it was meant to ferry granite stones and forest products. The railway line was later abandoned and became almost unused.
In another event, Vaishnaw laid the foundation stone for a subway at Betanoti railway station for providing passenger amenities and inaugurated a booking counter.
The minister commenced his two-day Balasore visit by offering prayers at the famous Khirachora Gopinath Temple. At Remuna Hanuman Kalyan Mandap, he participated in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra.