Centre mulling Namo Bharat rapid rail service between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack: Vaishnaw

Bhubaneswar: The Centre is mulling a Namo Bharat rapid rail service between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on the lines of the Delhi-Meerut corridor.Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this in Rajya Sabha, adding that the govt is examining the possibility of this service.The minister told the Rajya Sabha that a new railway line is being sanctioned, under which the Namo Bharat rapid rail service can provided between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. “Trains can run frequently on this line. People can get a train every half an hour to travel between the twin cities. The double-engine govt is making such an arrangement,” he said.When a discussion was underway about providing metro rail services between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, experts spoke about a good and cost-effective solution for urban transport.“If we construct a rapid transit system on the surface, it will cost Rs 30 crore per kilometre. But it may cost Rs 300 crore per km if we construct a metro rail-like system on an elevated corridor. We should spend public money in a better way,” Vaishnaw added.Namo Bharat is India’s first regional rail system linking major urban centres. It is a high-speed, high-frequency and sustainable rail network, designed to run at 180kmph with an average operating speed of 100kmph. Its first corridor, connecting Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut, is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Meerut to less than 60 minutes.Thanking Vaishnaw, Ekamra Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh on Saturday said the Namo Bharat train is a good step to save money and provide better facilities to passengers travelling between the state capital and Cuttack.In May 2023, Vaishnaw had also announced that Vande Metro trains will run from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar to Puri. The railways has designed Vande Metro trains for covering short distances of 50-60km such as Cuttack-Bhubaneswar and Lingaraj Temple (Bhubaneswar)-Puri, like shuttles.