Bhubaneswar: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Monday held a press meet, a day after the Union Budget 2026–27, announcing that Odisha will receive Rs 10,928 crore in the budget.
He said the state would benefit significantly from the proposed East–West Freight Corridor.
“The East–West Freight Corridor will pass through Odisha and extend to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat,” Vaishnaw said. He emphasised that the corridor will play a key role in the state’s industrial development.
Vaishnaw also highlighted that over the past 11 years, Odisha has added 2,200 km of new railway tracks, surpassing the total track length in Malaysia. He thanked Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, noting that under his leadership, the state government has effectively implemented the Double Engine model.
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Under the Amrit Station Scheme, 59 railway stations in Odisha have been selected for complete redevelopment, with a total investment of Rs 2,439 crore. Redevelopment work has already been completed at six stations: Cuttack 2nd Entry, Baripada, Barpali, Bimlagarh, Parlakhemundi, and Talcher.
Speaking ahead of the budget presentation Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the country will see the construction of seven high-speed railway corridors, including Varanasi–Siliguri, Delhi–Varanasi, Mumbai–Pune, Bengaluru–Chennai, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, and Hyderabad–Chennai. Development will also focus on improving connectivity to small towns and pilgrimage sites.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Railway Minister for the railway budget.
This initiative of the central government towards the progress of Odisha has further strengthened the resolve of building a ‘Prosperous Odisha’, Majhi wrote on X.
“I firmly believe that the ‘East-West Freight Corridor’, which was approved in the current budget, will usher in a new era in the industrial and commercial fields in Odisha,” he said.
Majhi said the use of AI-based thermal cameras and Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks will create a model towards the protection of wildlife.
Stating that his government is committed to providing all possible support to the central government for the overall development of Odisha, the CM said,
“With our joint efforts, Odisha will definitely become a progressive and prosperous state.”
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