Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned the new Puri-Konark railway line project.
Addressing a presser in Bhubaneswar, the Railway Minister said, “It was a long-pending demand of the people. The work on the new railway project will be started and land acquisition will be undertaken. Puri and Konark have a lot to do with our spiritual tourism, heritage tourism, and coastal tourism focus. Our dream of connecting Puri with Konark through the railway line is going to materialise soon.”
He further stated that the railway line with a length of nearly 32 km has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 492 crore and it will facilitate communication between Konark Sun Temple and Puri Srimandir of Lord Jagannath.
“We will run Vistadome train on this line. Such types of trains have walls and roofs made of glass panels so that travellers can get a view of the fleeting scenes and landscape. Besides, we have the plan to showcase various aspects of the Jagannath culture inside the train to tourists and travellers by using technology,” he informed.
He also urged the Odisha government for land acquisition for the project, which will require about 215 hectares.
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“As soon as the land acquisition is started, project work will begin. The project has been sanctioned with fund allocation. The design is almost completed. This project will be developed as a corridor for spiritualism tourism. Besides, four to five tourist hubs will be established along the stretch. We also request the state government to provide land for the purpose,” he said.
The Union Minister earlier reviewed works of some railway projects, traffic systems, and infrastructure at the office of the East Coast Railway in Bhubaneswar.