Overview of Railway Stations in Bhubaneswar

Odisha capital Bhubaneswar is a city with over 3,000 years of history. The 2nd century BC Mahamegha-bahana Chedi dynasty had Sisupalgarh as its capital. Bhubaneswar name relates to Tribhubaneswar or Shiv and has had many names of which Kalinga Nagari or Nagar Kalinga are well-known. It is also described as the City of Temples because of its many temples. They show all the styles of Kalinga architecture. Bhubaneswar became the capital in 1948 replacing Cuttack. It is a modern city designed by German architect Otto Königsberger. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are twin-cities.

Bhubaneswar Railway Station (station code BBS) is East Coast Railway zone’s headquarters. The 800-mile East Coast State Railway was built and began operations between 1893 and 1896. Long bridges were built on Brahmani, Kathajodi, Kuakhai and Birupa rivers in the process. Bengal Nagpur Railway was nationalized before independence. Eastern Railway was carved out in 1952 by adding part of East Indian Railway Company east of Mughalsarai to the Bengal Nagpur Railway. South Eastern Railway was created in 1955 out of Eastern Railway. East Coast Railway and South East Central Railway were formed in 2003 from South Eastern Railway.

The Bhubaneswar yard and the Khurda Road-Bhubaneswar section were electrified in 2001-02 and the Bhubaneswar-Barang section was electrified in 2002-03. Bhubaneswar, a busy railway station, is among the top hundred revenue-earning stations of the railway. As many as 270 trains pass through the Bhubaneswar station every day. The city is connected to most cities in India by the railway network and has 5 railway stations within the limits of the city. From north to south, these are Patia Halt, Mancheswar, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar and Lingaraj Temple Road.

Delayed Modernization –

Bhubaneswar Railway Station has four platforms and the construction of four more platforms is on. The proposed seven-storey new building of the planned world class station will have four upper class waiting halls, two executive lounges, five second-class waiting halls, and air-conditioned and general retiring rooms and dormitories on all floors. There will be multi-cuisine restaurants, bookshops, medicine counters, booking counters, tourism counters and kiosks on all the floors. It will have a multi-storey parking facility for 3,200 two-wheelers and 900 cars. But the modernization plan has been stuck for want of funds. The state government has been pressing for modernization of Bhubaneswar Railway Station to be taken up on a priority basis.

New Bhubaneswar Railway Station –

Bhubaneswar Railway Station, located in the southern part of the city, is progressively getting congested because of the growing traffic. So the Railway Department is planning an alternative passenger terminal at New Bhubaneswar in the northern side between Mancheswar and Barang. The New Bhubaneswar station, for which organizational processes have been set in motion, will have nine lines. North-bound trains are expected to originate and terminate at Bhubaneswar and stop at New Bhubaneswar. Major south-bound trains like Konark Express and Prasanthi Express may originate from New Bhubaneswar in the long run. This will help to decongest Bhubaneswar Railway Station.

Metro Plan for Bhubaneswar –

The Odisha Government reached an agreement in 2014 with Balaji Railroad Systems on the preparation of a project report for a metro system for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The report is expected to be submitted in early 2015. That will set the scene for the construction of a modern metro system in the twin cities.

Restaurants Close to Bhubaneswar Station –

The restaurants located close to Bhubaneswar Railway Station include Hare Krishnan Restaurant, Tangerine 9, Kebabs Unlimited, Flavours, Golden Bird, Sangam, Nandan, Deep Down South, Phulbani, China Garden, etc.

Food Delicacies of Bhubaneswar –

Odisha has a delicious but simple cuisine. The staple rice is eaten with various vegetables. A large proportion of people relish seafood like fish, crabs prawns, and lobsters. These are available on the state’s long coastline. Odisha families use less oil in cooking and people love curd and coconut milk and sweets. The creamy curd adds to the quality of the food preparations. Yams, brinjals and pumpkins with curd and mustard seeds make for delicious dishes. Popular pithas are sweet and savory cakes and Chhenapodapitha is a favorite caramelized dessert. And mahaprasad offered as bhog to Jagannath cannot be missed at any cost. The Jagannath temple is said to have the world’s one of the largest kitchens where 400 cooks work on 200 hearths. As many as 10,000 people are fed there every day.

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