Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday shot off a letter to Railways Minister Piyush Goyal urging him to introduce passenger trains on the new Khurda-Bolangir railway line that has now been connected up to Nayagarh town.
In the letter, Patnaik said all works for the 16-km Bolangir-Bhainsapalli section of the Khurda-Bolangir railway line has been completed. The mandatory inspection of the Commissioner Railway Safety was also completed in October 2018. However, the Railways has not introduced any passenger services for the section.
“I request you to introduce passenger trains in this section without any further delay so that the genuine aspirations of the people of western Odisha can be met,’ Patnaik stated in the letter.
Patnaik also requested the Union Minister that mail express trains originating from Bhubaneswar like Garib Rath Express be extended to Nayagarh.
“The trains will help people of Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Boudh, Subarnapur and Bolangir districts have better access to the large coastal belt of Odisha as well as the economic hubs of Kolkata and Visakhapatnam,” the letter said.