Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will launch two new rail services on Monday — Puri-Koraput inaugural special from Puri railway station and Berhampur-Udhna Amrit Bharat inaugural special from Berhampur railway station.Sources said the regular timetable for Puri-Koraput Express will be announced later. The new services are expected to enhance rail connectivity within the state and between Odisha and western India. They are also likely to support tourism, trade, employment and broader regional development.Puri-Koraput-Puri Express, numbered 18407/18408, will directly connect the pilgrim town of Puri with Koraput, a key tribal region in southern Odisha. East Coast Railway said the train will benefit pilgrims, tourists, students, patients, traders and local commuters by improving access to religious places, educational institutions, medical facilities and business centres.The train will pass through Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Angul, Sambalpur, Bargarh Road, Balangir, Titilagarh, Kesinga, Muniguda, Rayagada, Kakiriguma and Damanjodi, linking coastal, western and southern parts of the state.It will operate from Puri on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and from Koraput on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Berhampur-Udhna Amrit Bharat Express, which currently runs thrice a week, will begin daily operations from Monday. The train connects Odisha with Gujarat through Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.The move is expected to help a large number of passengers from Odisha, particularly from Ganjam district, who travel to Surat for work, education, trade and other purposes. The daily service will improve access to major industrial, commercial and employment hubs.
