Railway track expansion in Odisha surges over past decade: Vaishnaw

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Railway infrastructure development in Odisha has received a major push over the past decade, with more than 2,150 km of new railway tracks commissioned between 2014 and 2025, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha Friday.

Vaishnaw said the commissioning of new tracks during 2014–25 is more than 3.5 times higher than the 267 km completed during 2009–14. The average track commissioning has increased from 53 km per year to about 195 km annually. The minister also highlighted a significant rise in budget allocation for railway infrastructure and safety projects in the state. Odisha received an average annual outlay of Rs 838 crore between 2009 and 2014, while the allocation has increased to Rs 10,599 crore for the 2025–26 financial year — nearly 13 times higher.

As of April 1, 2025, a total of 49 railway projects covering about 4,010 km have been sanctioned in the state at an estimated cost of Rs 67,496 crore. These include 19 new line projects and 30 doubling or multi-tracking works.

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Of these, 1,429 km has already been commissioned and Rs 28,043 crore has been spent so far. Among the major recently completed projects are the Daitari–Banspani new line and the Jakhapura–Haridaspur third line (179 km), the Haridaspur–Paradeep new line (82 km), and the Angul–Sukinda new line (104 km). Doubling works have also been completed on key routes including Sambalpur–Titlagarh and Raipur–Titlagarh. Several projects are currently under construction, including new railway lines connecting Junagarh–Nabarangpur, Jeypore–Malkangiri and Puri–Konark.

Vaishnaw said the 301-km Khurda Road–Bolangir new line project is progressing steadily, with 226 km already commissioned. Work is ongoing on the 75-km Daspalla–Purunakatak section, where tunnel excavation and major bridge construction are underway. He added that project completion depends on factors such as land acquisition, forest clearances, availability of funds, traffic potential and connectivity needs.