After Vande Bharat Express, Vande Sleeper will be introduced and subsequently Vande Metro will be launched in Odisha, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during the flagging off event of Vande Bharat train in Puri on Thursday.
As per the Minister, there are plans to run Vande Metro in Puri-Cuttack and Bhubaneswar in next January-February.
Vaishnaw also informed that second Vande Bharat will run in Bhubaneswar and it will connect Puri-Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and Rourkela-Sambalpur-Jharsuguga-Angul-Talcher.
“We pray Lord Jagannath to fulfill the plan. Along with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, I will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give another Vande Bharat, and Vande Metro to Odisha,” said Vaishnaw.
“We are transforming 57 railway stations in Odisha as world class stations. Apart from Railway, Telecom Department has also provided Rs 5,600 crore to improve connectivity in Odisha. Odisha will now have world class railway, telecom, internet and highway connectivity,” he said adding that the Modi government has given around Rs 10,000 crore in the last two years for the development of railway in Odisha.
The Minister urged the State government to extend their cooperation to make Odisha the No.1 State.
“I request all the officials of the State government to extend their cooperation in land acquisition, maintaining law and order and forest approval. With cooperation from all, we can make Odisha No.1 State in railway, telecom, highway and iway connectivity,” said Vaishnaw.