Odisha announces Cuttack-Bhubaneswar-Khurda-Puri Metro train service

The Odisha government Saturday announced a Metro train project on the about 100 km Cuttack-Bhubaneswar-Khurda-Puri route to resolve heavy traffic-related issues.

The project will be predominantly based on elevated corridors and entirely funded by the state government, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said announcing the project on the occasion of Utkala Dibasa (Odisha Day).

In the first phase the metro trunk route from Trisulia near Cuttack to Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar will be created and will tentatively touch major landmarks such as Nandankanan, Patia, Vani Vihar and Bhubaneswar railway station, he said.

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As the project is starting from (near the) Subash Bose Setu in Cuttack, it will enable commuters from that city to access important locations in Bhubaneswar. In the later phases the Metro will expand to Khurda and Puri, Patnaik said.

"Equipped with state-of-art facilities, it (Metro project) will not only offer world-class, environment-friendly urban transport for an emerging and aspirational Odisha but also spur economic activities and accelerate the expansion of our urban city cluster covering Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khurda.

The emergence of a modern and planned city cluster will attract people, investments, trade and tourism like never before. This will be a truly transformational project implemented using the principles of 5T.

"This is the New Odisha we are aspiring to create as our humble tribute to the people and the creators of our beloved state of Odisha," Patnaik said adding the housing and urban development department has been asked to complete the detailed project report on a war footing.

The Metro project has been studied by various stakeholders and feasibility reports have been prepared, he said. State transport secretary Manoj Mishra told PTI that the proposed route in the first phase will cover the densely populated areas and those with mass footfall like Nandan Kanan to Jaydev Vihar and Vani Vihar to the airport and touch the Bhubaneswar railway station area.

The subsequent expansion to Khurda and Puri will make the urban city cluster congestion-free, reduce vehicular pollution and enable investment due to better connectivity. Industries such as IT and tourism require Metro connectivity to unlock the economic potential of the state.

The about 100 km project is therefore for the future of Odisha, he said. Odisha chief secretary P K Jena along with development commissioner Anu Garg, 5T, transport, housing and urban development and IT secretaries held a high-level review during the day to check the feasibility of the proposed Metro rail service.

Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said the Metro train project has been announced several times earlier but it is yet to see the light of day.