President Droupadi Murmu will flag off three trains from the Badampahar railway station in Odisha on Tuesday. These trains — Shalimar-Badampahar and Badampahar-Rourkela weekly express trains and one MEMU between Badampahar and Tatanagar — “will connect tribal areas with bigger cities and give a huge boost to the local economy, access to healthcare and tribal tourism, among others,” a railway official said. According to the railways, the Shalimar-Badampahar Weekly Express will be the first ever express train connecting Shalimar near Kolkata in West Bengal with Badampahar in Odisha.
The second weekly express train will connect the mineral rich areas of Badampahar with Rourkela, the Steel City of India. The third train — Tatanagar-Badampahar MEMU – will be important for daily commuters as it will run six days a week except Sunday.
According to the railways, this will be an additional service between Badampahar and Tatanagar, an important industrial city of Jharkhand.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) zone, under which these areas fall, said that these trains will pass through mineral rich and industrial areas and will facilitate faster connectivity.
It added that people from nearby areas will also be able to avail this train service for visiting bigger cities for various purposes.
“It will benefit students and job aspirants by providing easy access to the premier educational institutes and corporate houses,” an official from the South Eastern Railway (SER) said.
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Highlighting the importance of the trains for people who need medical treatment, he added, “Patients from this area can now consult doctors and avail treatment at reputable hospitals of Kolkata and Tatanagar.” Besides providing better connectivity to boost the growth and development of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, these new trains will also encourage tourists from West Bengal and Jharkhand to explore and enjoy the picturesque landscape and dense forest of northeastern parts of Odisha.
The president will also lay the foundation stone of the redevelopment of Badampahar Railway Station under the Amrit Station Scheme.
“Under the Amrit Station scheme launched by the Government of India, more than 1,300 railway stations across the country are being redeveloped with state-of-the-art facilities. Badampahar station in Chakradharpur Division has been earmarked for redevelopment under Amrit Station Scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 12.22 crore,” according to a railway statement.
“The redevelopment of Badampahar railway station will enhance rail-transport infrastructure and boost tourism for the state of Odisha,” it stated.