Khurda-Bolangir rail route extended to Bolagarh

Rajasunakhala/Bolagarh: The Railways completed another phase of the 289-km-long Khurda-Bolangir railway line project, extending it to Bolagarh in Khurda district with a trial run from Rajasunakhala station this afternoon.

Railway authorities put a diesel locomotive on a trial run at about 3.30 PM, which successfully arrived at Bolagarh railway station covering a distance of about 13 km from Rajasunakhala.

With today's successful trial run, the Railway authorities say passenger services on this route up to Bolagarh will start very soon.

The railway line between Khurda Road and Rajasunakhala in Nayagarh district, a distance of 41.5 km, has already been commissioned and two pairs of trains are running in the section. The next station after Rajasunakhala is Bolagarh Road, which is at a distance of 12.8 km from Rajsaunakhala.

The section between Rajasunakhala-Bolagarh Road has 29 minor bridges, four road-over-bridges (ROBs), including one ROB over National Highway-57 and eight road-under-bridges.

A passenger train was flagged off by Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on July 16 last year on the newly built Khurda-Begunia rail line. The same passenger train was extended in the second phase to Rajsunakhala with effect from November 3 last year.

Meanwhile, work has started from the Bolangir towards the next station Bhainsapalli, which is targeted to be commissioned by May, 2018.

Notably, the Centre has allocated Rs 240 crore for the Khurda-Bolangir railway project in the Railway Budget this year.