Bhubaneswar: The general public today welcomed the first regular run of Sonepur-Puri Express at Sonepur Railway Station in Subarnapur district.
The train will connect four Western Odisha districts- Sonepur, Balangir, Bargarh and Sambalpur apart from Puri, Khordha, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul districts. It will provide benefit to the students, farmers, pilgrims and traders of the region.
The Puri-Sonepur Express from Puri is leaving on Thursdays while Sonepur-Puri train service will be available on Fridays. The train is leaving Puri at 7.35 pm on Thursdays and reaching Sonepur at 5.30 am on Fridays.
In the return direction, it will depart from Sonepur at 7.30 pm on Fridays and will reach Puri at 6.55 am on Saturdays.
It will have stoppages at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Naraj Marthapur, Dhenkanal, Talcher, Angul, Boinda, Rairakhol, Sambalpur, Bargarh Road, Balangir, Bichhupali, Jhartarbha and Narsinghgarh between Puri and Sonepur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off this train on its inaugural run from Sonepur through video conferencing from Sambalpur on February 3, 2024.
People including civil society of Sambalpur welcomed this train at Sonepur Railway Station with organizing cultural programme.