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Time of India

Extend Vande Bharat to Koraput via Araku: Jeypore MLA

1 2 Koraput: In a renewed push for improved rail connectivity in the tribal-dominated Koraput district, Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati has appealed to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to extend the Vande Bharat Express — currently running between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam — to Koraput via two separate memoranda recently submitted to Majhi and Vaishnaw, the senior Congress legislator proposed extending the train's route by an additional 215 km to reach Koraput. The route, passing through the scenic Araku Valley, would span a total of 669 km, well within the operational threshold of Vande Bharat trains, which typically cover up to 800 the Vande Bharat covers 444 km between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam in about five hours. With the proposed extension, the full journey could be completed in around nine hours, Bahinipati the lack of high-speed connectivity in Koraput region, Bahinipati emphasised that only one train, the Hirakhand Express, currently connects Koraput with Bhubaneswar. "This extension would not only reduce the heavy passenger load on the Hirakhand Express but also boost the socio-economic development of backward blocks such as Nandapur and Lamtaput, and bordering districts like Nabarangpur and Malkangiri," said Bahinipati. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !