Indian Railways to run Jagannath Express trains for next Rath Yatra: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Indian Railways will launch the Jagannath Express, and under the project, the organisation plans to promote the rich Jagannath culture, food, and language, reports IANS.

Before the following Rath Yatra, Indian Railways will launch the Jagannath Express as part of the Bharat Gaurav railway project, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced here on Saturday. Speaking to the media, Vaishnaw added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the vision to use the railroads to present to the Indian people and the rest of the globe the country's wonderful historical sites and rich cultural heritage. As a result, he stated, Ramayan Express was initially introduced as a part of the Bharat Gaurav Trains (theme-based tourism circuit trains).

Now, Jagannath Express will be launched under the project to promote the rich Jagannath culture, food, and language. The design train and Jagannath circuit has been finalised. The service will be launched just before the next Rath Yatra, the minister said.

Vaishnaw also said that his ministry is also going to launch the Vande Bharat Express train service in Odisha soon. Commenting on the introduction of the metro train service in Odisha, he said: "It can be done after getting a complete proposal from the state government. Till now, no proposal has been received from Odisha."

He further informed that the Modi government has allocated Rs. 5,600 crores to digitally connect about 7,600 unconnected villages in Odisha. Besides, 5Gthe  service will be introduced in Odisha in the first phase only. All these initiatives will help to boost the digital economy in the state, he added.

Speaking at the Odisha Nirman programme organised by loa cal news channel, the Railways Minister has said that Odisha is going to witness a complete transformation in the railway sector. Tenders for the transformation of 28 stations have been awarded.

Railway projects worth Rs 55,941 crore have been sanctioned for the state, of which projects worth around Rs 4,000 crore were sanctioned during the last seven to eight months, Vaishnaw said.

Similarly, before 2014 during the UPA-led government, Odisha was getting Rs 838 crore per year in the railway sector. When the Narendra Modi government came to power, it doubled and then increased the allocation by four times. Now, in the current financial year, Odisha got Rs 9,734 crore for the development of railways, he said.

The Minister further said that during the Congress regime, railway lines of totathe l length of only 25-26 km were constructed each year in Odisha. However, the minister said that railway tracks of 180 km were laid in the last financial year, and this year, so far, 238 km has been already completed in the state.

With inputs from IANS