Centre allocates Rs 10,599 cr for rail network development in Odisha: Vaishnaw

Bhubaneswar, Feb 3 (PTI) Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the Centre has allocated Rs 10,599 crore for the railway sector development in Odisha in the Union Budget for 2025-26 financial year.

Addressing a press conference through virtual mode from New Delhi, Vaishnaw said the amount is excess by Rs 13 crore than the previous amount of Rs 10,586 crore in 2023-24 budget. The state in the 2023-24 fiscal was allocated Rs 10,012 crore.

“Odisha has received over Rs 10,000 crore annually for railway development over the past three years, contributing to a total investment of Rs. 78,000 crore in the state's railway sector. Furthermore, an additional Rs 20,000 crore worth of projects have been sanctioned during the current government’s tenure,” Vaishnaw told reporters.

Taking to X, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said: “On behalf of the people of Odisha, I express my gratitude to the Honorable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, Union Finance inister Smt @nsitharaman and the Honorable Union Railway Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw for providing a total sanction of Rs 10,599 crores to Odisha in the Railway Budget for the financial year 2025-26 to further strengthen the railway infrastructure of Odisha. Through this, the development of railways, improvement of infrastructure, etc. will be accelerated which will strengthen the economic condition of the state and help in building a 'Developed Odisha'. #ViksitBharatBudget2025.” However, the opposition BJD criticised the BJP’s ‘Double Engine” government (one party in both state and Centre) for the state being allegedly neglected in the Union Budget, 2025-26 including in the railway sector.

“The Indian Railways earns maximum revenue from Odisha while the state is given less allocations,” former MP and BJD leader Amar Patnaik said in a press conference here.

“How does the state benefit from the double engine government? The allocation for railways sector was only Rs 13 crore more than the previous year and there was no mention of Odisha’s name in the Union Budget this time while huge funds were given to poll-bound Bihar. The Union Budget, 2025-26 is not an economic document, but a political document,” Patnaik said.

The BJD leader said that the people have sent 20 BJP MPs and three of them are ministers in the Union government.

Still, the state is neglected and BJP MPs are silent, he alleged.

The East Coast Railways in a statement said that there has been a massive expansion of the railway network in Odisha.

“Between 2014-2025, 186 km of new tracks will be laid, 3.5 times more than the 53 km added during the previous period,” it said.

Similarly, Odisha's electrification efforts have seen a 4.5-fold increase, with 138 km of electrified track during 2014-2025 compared to just 29 km in the previous term.

“Over 2,046 km of new tracks have been constructed since 2014, surpassing Malaysia’s entire rail network in scale,” the minister said adding that Odisha has also achieved 100 per cent electrification with 1,516 km of track electrified.

The minister said currently, 48 new track projects are underway, with a total of 4,784 km of tracks being developed. The budgetary allocation includes Rs 2,379 crore for the development of 59 stations across Odisha, including key hubs like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Sambalpur and Rourkela.

The Kavach safety system has been sanctioned for 1,898 km of rail line, with ongoing work and tendering for 645 km. A total of 1,000 locomotives will be integrated with the system to enhance safety, he said adding that since 2014, 522 rail flyovers and under-bridges have been constructed. Additionally, 43 lifts, 18 escalators, and Wi-Fi have been installed at 234 stations.

While six Vande Bharat trains now run across Odisha, connecting 17 districts and 25 unique stoppages, offering modern, high-speed travel for passengers, an Amrit Bharat Express, running between Malda Town in West Bengal and Bengaluru, connects five states, enhancing regional connectivity.

The multi-tracking project from Kolkata to Chennai is progressing rapidly, with significant work completed between Kolkata and Bhadrak. Third-line work is already underway, and the fourth line will be processed in the future, the minister said. PTI AAM AAM NN

Source: PTI