Ahead of the Railway Budget, the BJP State unit led by its president Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo has requested Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to introduce two new trains, Bhubaneswar-Mumbai Duronto Express and Titlagarh-Allahabad Express, to improve rail connectivity to Odisha.
The BJP leader mentioned that as lakhs of Odias work in Mumbai, both in Government and private sectors, a direct point-to-point non-stop Duronto Express would be convenient and would reduce travel time. Notably, there is only one direct train, Konark Express, currently running from Bhubaneswar to Mumbai and its takes over 36 hours to reach its destination.
Singh Deo further said that presently there is only one train from Odisha, Purushottam Express, which runs from Puri to Allahabad completely bypassing Western Odisha. “For most Odias, a visit to Allahabad to take a holy dip at the Sangam is mandatory for post-funereal rites. A direct Titlagarh-Allahabad Express will cater to the needs of Western Odisha and Southern Chhattisgarh people, who will be saved from extra journeys to Bhubaneswar, Raipur or Vizag,” he added.