Raipur: Two New Passenger Train Services Flagged Off; ₹54,000 Crore Rail Projects Under Way

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai flagged off two new passenger train services, Rowghat–Raipur and Raipur–Kurud, at a programme at Raipur Railway Station. Mr Vaishnaw joined the event virtually.

Speakers said the services are meant to improve connectivity and open development opportunities across the state. Railway projects worth about ₹54,000 crore are under way in Chhattisgarh, and the state received a railway allocation of ₹7,470 crore this year.

Work is also on to extend rail service from Rowghat to Jagdalpur in the south. The Raipur–Dhamtari line, formerly narrow gauge, has been converted to broad gauge, and passenger service to Dhamtari will move ahead once the remaining Kurud–Dhamtari work is complete.

A foundation stone was also laid for an electric locomotive maintenance facility.

Those present included Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal, Mahasamund MP Roopkumari Choudhary, Rajya Sabha member Laxmi Verma, Kanker member Bhojraj Nag, MLAs Rajesh Munat, Motilal Sahu and Purandar Mishra, former MP and MLA Vikram Usendi, and South East Central Railway General Manager Tarun Prakash.

The report does not give the timings or distances for the new services, which passengers should check with the railway before travelling. For Raipur, the Kurud link could help daily commuters, while the Rowghat line forms part of the longer plan to connect the iron-ore belt with Bastar.

Passenger services of this kind connect smaller towns with the state capital, which can help daily commuters, students and traders who travel to Raipur for work and study. Passengers should check the timetable, stoppages and fares on the railway's official channels before planning journeys, because timings of newly started services are sometimes adjusted in the first weeks.