The Railways is likely to undertake the upgradation of 24 stations in Odisha. The proposed project will be implemented in the East Coast Railways (ECoR) part of the state, and involves foot-over-bridges, waiting halls, parking lots and other amenities for passengers.
The upgradation will be carried out in all three railway divisions of the ECoR. Of the 24 stations, nine stations will be upgraded under Sambalpur division, 12 under Khurda Road division and three under Waltair division.
The stations under Khurda Road Railways Division are, Angul, Balugaon, Brahmapur, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, Keonjhar, Khurda Road, Mancheswar, Paradip, Talcher Road and Talcher ; under Sambalpur Division, stations to be upgraded are, Jharsuguda Road, Sambalpur City, Rairakhol, Kantabanji, Titlagarh, Kesinga, Bhawanipatna, Bargarh Road and Balangir, and stations under the Waltair division are, Jeypore, Koraput and Paralakhemundi.
Under the upgradation scheme, nine major works will be undertaken. The railways will add waiting halls and VIP lounges in these stations to provide better experience for passengers. It will construct bitumen top road with reinforced concrete cement (RCC) drain, pathways, portico cover shed as well as entry and exit gates.
The project will also create parking lots, renovate existing station buildings and take care of landscaping work surrounding the stations. It will carry out electrical fittings and illumination of areas. Signal and telecommunication work will also be carried out.
