With lakhs of devotees expected to travel to Puri for the annual Rath Yatra festivities, East Coast Railway has announced two pairs of special trains connecting Jagdalpur and Rayagada with the pilgrim city. The additional services aim to ease passenger congestion and provide convenient travel for devotees visiting Jagannath Dham.
The special trains will operate on select dates in July 2026, keeping in view the anticipated surge in passenger demand during the festival period.
The services will cover key towns across Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, improving rail connectivity for pilgrims.
The Jagdalpur–Puri and Rayagada–Puri special trains will stop at several major stations along their respective routes, allowing passengers from multiple districts to board the services without relying on regular trains.
Check out the complete schedules, departure and arrival timings, and station-wise halts for both special trains here.
Jagdalpur–Puri Special Train: Full schedule, route and halts
The special train between Jagdalpur and Puri ( Train No. 08553) will operate on July 15 and July 23, 2026. Similarly, the train in the return direction will run on July 16 and July 24, 2026.
The train will leave Jagdalpur at 6:00 am and reach Puri at 1:40 am the following day. On its return journey, it will depart from Puri at 7:15 pm and arrive at Jagdalpur at 1:15 pm the next day.
Route and stoppages
En route, the train will stop at important stations including Jeypore, Koraput, Damanjodi, Lakhmipur Road, Rayagada, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Palasa, Brahmapur, Chatrapur, Khallikote, Balugaon and Sakhigopal. It will also halt at several other stations such as Amagura, Kotapar Road, Chhatariput, Tikiri, Singapur Road, Parvatipuram, Bobbili, Chipurupalli, Mandasa, Sompeta, Ichapuram, Nirakarpur, Kanas Road and Delang.
Rayagada–Puri Special Train: Full schedule, route and halts
East Coast Railway will also operate the special train between Rayagada and Puri (Train No. 08555) on July 15 and July 23, 2026. The return service (Train No.08556) from Puri to Rayagada will run on July 17 and July 25, 2026.
The Rayagada-bound special train will depart from Rayagada at 2:30 pm and arrive in Puri at 4:00 am the next day. On the return journey, the train will depart Puri at 1:30 am and arrive in Rayagada at 2:30 pm.
Route and stoppages
The train will pass through major stations including Muniguda, Kesinga, Titlagarh, Balangir, Bargarh Road, Sambalpur, Boinda, Angul, Talcher Road, Dhenkanal, Naraj Marthapur, Bhubaneswar, Khurda Road, Sakhigopal and Malatipatpur. Additional stoppages have also been provided at Singapur Road, Ambadola, Norla Road, Rupra Road, Saintala, Loisingha, Dungripali, Attabira, Rairakhol, Mancheswar, Haripurgram, Motari, Kanas Road, Delang, Jenapur and Birpurushottampur Janakideipur.