He was accompanied by Balasore MP & ex-minister Pratap Sarangi.

Sources said that Vaishnaw will then participate in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra at Remuna Hanuma Kalyan Mandap.

He is scheduled to dedicate the Balasore-Gopinathpur passenger line in Balasore district and flag off Gopinathpur (Nilagiri)-Balasore new MEMU train service between 11.30 am and 2 pm. With the inauguration of the line, people of Nilagiri, the first princely state to merge with Odisha after the country’s independence, will be able to avail of passenger train services for the first time. Three pairs of MEMU trains will run on the route daily.

The railway line was opened in 1909 and a private company then used it for granite transportation from Nilagiri to Kolkata. Later, the line was left unused.

The Rail Minister will then visit Nilagiri Jagannath Temple and attend some programmes at Bada Sahi. He will then meet people over ‘Cha Khatti’ in the evening.

Vaishnaw is also scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of other railway projects at Betanoti in Mayurbhanj district. As a part of providing more passenger amenities and safety, a subway will be constructed at Betnoti station. Vaishnaw will lay foundation stone of this subway. It will ensure smooth entry and exit of passengers to the station. Local residents can commute through the subway without crossing the railway track, the ECoR said on Friday.

“Odisha is one the most beautiful states. It is a state which has a huge potential. PM Modi has continuously worked to ensure rail, telecom tower and highway connectivity for 4.5 crore people of the state. Khurda-Balangir Railway line is a historical project. The execution of the project was expedited under his leadership and the railway line is now ready for operation. The long-held dream of connecting coastal area of Odisha with the western region is being completed in phases,” he said.

He also flagged off 4 trains extended up to Daspalla. The trains are Bhubaneswar-Nayagarh Town Express, Bhubaneswar-Nuagaon Road Passenger Special, Puri-Nuagaon Road Passenger Special and the Bhadrak-Nayagarh Town MEMU train.

Vaishnaw further said that he would ask East Coast Railway (ECoR) GM to run a special train from Daspalla, Nayagarh, and Nuagaon to Puri during Rath Yatra.

The Rail Minister also assured people from Phulbani that the town will be included in the proposed railway connectivity from Gopalpur to Rairakhole under ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Corridor’. “One has to rise over politics when serving the country. When I received the DPR from Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Limited (ORIDL), I had immediately sent it back, asking the company to include Phulbani in it,” he said.

According to sources, he is scheduled to attend a programme at Konark and Cuttack and also inspect the Cuttack railway station.

On Monday, he will inaugurate the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express with new upgraded Tejas rakes that can run at 200 km per hour. These rakes with facilities like electro-pneumatic assisted brakes, passenger information system, electronic passenger reservation chart integrated with the infotainment system (LCDs on the back of chairs) are for long-distance journey to the better travel experience of passengers with enhanced comfort.

On the last day of his visit, Vaishnaw will inspect the Bhubaneswar railway station in the morning and later in the afternoon, inaugurate a Train Management Centre at Khurda Road. He will also review works of East Coast Railway (ECoR) and postal and telecom departments, sources added.

A survey was carried out in all the villages in Odisha without mobile towers. Vaishnaw stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered that all villages receive top-notch 4G/5G services.
It was said that Odisha is not receiving enough money to build its telecom industry. According to him, the Centre has given Odisha a total of Rs 5,600 crore for telecom services.

It’s important to note that the Minister stated on October 16 that 5G internet services will be accessible in four cities in Odisha by March 2023 and that 80% of the state’s land area would have access to the improved network by the end of the following year.
Other attendees were MLA Suresh Kumar Routray, Ananta Jena, Lok Sabha members Pratap Sarangi, Aparajita Sarangi, and Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Prahllad Joshi.

For the purpose of making Bhubaneswar Railway Station a World Class railway station, the Ministry of Railways has allotted Rs 308 crore.