Indian Railways is running Jagannath Express trains for the next Rath Yatra: Ashwini Vaishnaw | Railway news | So Good News

Before the ensuing Rath Yatra, Indian Railways will launch the Jagannath Express as part of the Bharat Gaurav railway project, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced here on Saturday. Addressing the media, Vaishnaw added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the vision to use the railways to present the country’s wonderful historical sites and rich cultural heritage to the Indian people and the rest of the globe. As a result, he stated, the Ramayan Express was initially introduced as part of the Bharat Gaurav Trains (theme-based tourism circuits).

Now Jagannath Express will be launched under the project to promote the rich Jagannath culture, food and language. The design train and Jagannath circuit have been completed. The service will be launched just before the next Rath Yatra, the minister said.

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Vaishnaw also said that his ministry is also going to launch the Vande Bharat Express train service in Odisha soon. Commenting on the introduction of metro train service in Odisha, he said, “It can be done after getting a complete proposal from the state government. Till now no proposal has been received from Odisha.”

He further informed that the Modi government has allocated Rs. 5,600 crores to digitally connect around 7,600 unconnected villages in Odisha. Also, the 5Gthe service will be introduced only in Odisha in the first phase. All these initiatives will help boost the digital economy in the state, he added.

Speaking at the Odisha Nirman program organized by the local news channel, the Railway Minister has said that Odisha is going to witness a complete transformation in the railway sector. Tenders for the transformation of 28 stations have been awarded.

Railway projects worth Rs 55,941 crore have been sanctioned for the state, of which projects worth Rs 4,000 crore were sanctioned in the last seven to eight months, Vaishnaw said.

Similarly, before 2014 under the UPA-led government, Odisha got Rs 838 crore per annum in the railway sector. When the Narendra Modi government came to power, it doubled and then increased the allocation by four times. Now, in the current financial year, Odisha got Rs 9,734 crore for development of railways, he said.

The minister further said that during the Congress regime, railway lines with a total length of only 25-26 km were constructed every year in Odisha. The minister, however, said that 180 km of railway tracks were laid in the last financial year and this year so far 238 km have already been completed in the state.

With input from IANS