Bhubaneswar, Sep 26: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved the extension of Varanasi-Sambalpur-Varanasi Bi-weekly Express up to Visakhapatnam via Titlagarh and Rayagada, East Coast Railway(ECoR) sources here said.
The extension would benefit the Southern and Western districts of Odisha ,the North Andhra Region and interior districts of Chhattisgarh.
The people of Rayagada, Balangir, Bargarh, and other areas will be benefitted by the service.
The demand for this extension was made during Ashwini Vaishnaw’s visit to these regions during his Jan-ashirwad Yatra and he assured the people that their needs would be met.
Extending the train from Sambalpur to Visakhapatnam will serve multiple purposes for the people of Western and Southern Odisha.
It will meet the demand for easier access to quality healthcare services, as many residents from these areas often travel to renowned hospitals in Viskhapatanam.
This initiative has a ripple effect on intermediate connectivity, facilitating easier travel to crucial junctions like Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Hatia, Ranchi, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, and Sambalpur.
The entire region is set to experience a surge in economic activities and connectivity like never before, ECoR sources said.
