Bhubaneswar: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal today flagged off nine trains under ‘Sewa Express’ brand from New Delhi. Odisha also got a gift under this service, the Bhubaneswar – Nayagarh Town Express train which was a long standing demand of people of Odisha. The train started from Bhubaneswar railway station amidst great excitement and fanfare.
Puri MP Pinaki Misra said that it was a matter of delight that people can travel from Bhubaneswar to Nayagarh by paying only Rs 45. “The people of these two places can commute between Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh using this rail service on a daily basis. Sewa Express is a novel idea under which the dormant coaches will be utilised productively,” he said.
Bhuabaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said that it was a matter of pride and happiness that rail link between Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh has been rolled out. “This was a long standing demand of the people of Odisha which has been fulfilled. I would thank the Prime Minister and the State Government for the successful execution of this project,” she said.
“85 kilometres of rail line from Bhubaneswar to Nayagarh is a major feat for the Railways and our State. It will be of great help to the people of Odisha. This line will be a link between coastal and western Odisha,” local MLA and Minister Ashok Panda said.
Social Activist Biswanath Mohapatra said that people have been fighting for this train service since 1994 and today the dream has turned into a reality. In the past five years, there were many protests demanding the rail link between Nayagarh and Bhubaneswar. Our target is ensure that the rail linkage between Khurda and Bolangir is completed in a time-bound manner.