Railways planning to launch Jagannath Express during next Rath Jatra: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Indian Railways is planning to launch 'Jagannath Express', on the lines of the Ramayana Express, during the Rath Jatra festival in Puri next year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday.

Semi high-speed Vande Bharat Express trains will also be launched in Odisha soon, he said on the sideline of a programme.

"The proposed Jagannath Express will be introduced during the Rath Jatra festival in Puri to showcase Odisha's rich culture, art, tradition and cousin," he said.

It will be the second theme-based tourist circuit 'Bharat Gaurav' train after Ramayan Express.

The seaside town of Puri is famous for the 12th-century temple of Lord Jagannath.

The minister said that Odisha will soon get to see Vande Bharat Express.

By the month of January or February next year, the country will be manufacturing around four trains a month, he said adding: "We are examining the electrification and other essential parts for running the Vande Bharat train in the state."

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Claiming that railway infrastructure development is going on in a big way in Odisha, Vaishnaw said that while about 20 to 25 kilometres of rail line was being made during the UPA regime, 180 kilometres of rail line was constructed in 2021 and this year it will be 550 km.

He said that work for transforming 32 railway stations in the state into world-class standards is taken up.

To a question, Vaishnaw said Odisha deserves metro trains but the Railways has not received any proposal in this regard from the state government.

Vaishnaw, who is also the Communications, Electronics & Information Technology minister, said that the 5G network services will be launched in Odisha in the next three months during the first phase.

"The equipment required for the 5G network in Odisha is already in place," he said.

During a visit to Odisha on October 16, the Minster had said that 5G telephony services will be available in four Odisha cities by March 2023.

The 5G service will facilitate consumers to get 10 times the speed than the 4G.