Proposed Vande Bharat Express will pass through Rayagada

Rayagada,(Badal Tah): Denizens of Rayagada became jubilant when they came to know that a new Vande Bharat Express between Durg and Visakhapatnam had been proposed by the Indian Railways. It will stop in Rayagada & Sigapur Railway stations. Rayagada has been declared as a Railway Division & the work is progressing to make it full-fledged in the near future. Singapur Road railway station in near to JK Pur paper mills. Stoppage here will be of immense importance.

“If there is a stoppage either at Muniguda or Ambadola, many people from the nearby VEDANTA company and other locals will benefit. Because of its importance recently Muniguda has also been declared as a notified Area Council(NAC) by Govt of Odisha”, said Jagannath Nundruka, a prominent tribal leader of Muniguda.

Slated to travel a distance of 565 km in just 8 hours and 30 minutes, with an average speed of 66.47 km per hour – this train is likely to be launched post the elections. Residents of Odisha in & around Khariar Road, Kantabanji, Titlagarh, Kesinga apart from Singapur Road & Rayagada are poised to benefit from improved connectivity as the Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express is anticipated to be inaugurated following the Lok Sabha elections.

The train is expected to depart from Durg at 6 am and arrive in Visakhapatnam at 2:30 pm on the same day. The route will cover the stations of Durg, Raipur, Lakholi, Mahasamund, Khariar Road, Kantabanji, Titlagarh, Kesinga, Singapur Road, Rayagada, Parvatipuram, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam. In the return direction, the train is scheduled to begin its journey from Visakhapatnam at 3:15 pm and reach Durg by 11:50 pm on the same day. The return route will start from Visakhapatnam and pass through the stations of Vizinagaram, Parvatipuram, Rayagada, Singapur Road, Kesinga, Titlagarh, Kantabanji, Khariar Road, Mahasamund, Lakholi, Raipur, Durg.

The train will reduce the number of stops to 11 and the travel time to 8 hours and 30 minutes. At present, the Durg-Visakhapatnam Voltaire Express, which stops at 48 stations, completes the journey in 16 hours.

This will be extremely helpful to a significant number of Odisha residents, who live in the areas of Durg, Bhilai, Charoda, Kumhari and Raipur. With Rayagada being an industrial, educational and commercial hub with frequent visitors, there has always been an underscoring need for a faster train. This initiative will help ease the travel for residents, students, industrialists and businesspeople.