Dikhyaa Mohanty 
A record Rs 10,928 crore has been allocated for railways in Odisha in Union Budget 2026–27, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated. This is a part of the overall highest-ever allocation for Indian Railways, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earmarking approximately Rs 2.78 lakh crore for the national railway network. This includes a capital expenditure plan of Rs 2.93 lakh crore, reflecting the government’s continued emphasis on modernising railways, enhancing safety, and expanding connectivity.
Speaking to a press conference, Vaishnaw, the Rajya Sabha representative for Odisha, emphasized that projects totaling Rs 90,659 crore are presently being carried out throughout the state. These projects include electrification, new railway lines and doubling works, station modernization, safety upgrades like Kavach deployment, which has 772 route kilometers completed out of a total sanctioned 2,922 route kilometers, and safety upgrades. “When the double-engine government came into power in Odisha in 2024, we had assured the people of Rs 1 lakh crore worth of new railway projects over the next five years. Projects of Rs 90,659 crore have been initiated thus far. With this increased allocation, the overall investment will reach Rs 1 lakh crore,” he added, elaborating in Odia.
The Railway Minister claimed that Odisha will gain considerably from the projected East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor. This 2,052-kilometer route will link Surat, Gujarat, and Dankuni, West Bengal. It will travel through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. He stated that the corridor will increase economic activity and industrial growth throughout Odisha. By integrating with the current Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, the project will boost industrial expansion in mineral-rich and industrial areas and improve logistics efficiency.
He said that there are now six Vande Bharat trains and an equal number of Amrit Bharat trains running in Odisha. “Approximately 2,200 km of new railway tracks have been built in the last 11 years, which exceeds Malaysia’s entire railway network,” he stated.
