Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspects progress of re-development of Puri Railway station in Odisha

Puri (Odisha) [India], February 15 (ANI): The Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, inspected the progress of the re-development of the Puri Railway station as a world-class station on Wednesday.
Vaishnaw, after inspection, said that the design of the new building of Puri Railway station has got inspiration from Lord Shree Jagannath, and the works are going on at full speed.
"In this auspicious land of Lord Jagannatha, Puri railway station is being constructed as per the dreams of PM Modi. The progress is good..." the union minister said.
He emphasised that the digital twin of the building has been developed, in which all the physical parts of the building will have a digital twin, which will help in operating and maintaining the station building.
The new station building will be ready for the devotees at Puri with all modern facilities soon.
Like last year, many passenger amenities will be provided during the Ratha Yatra to cater to the needs of lakhs of passengers.
Earlier in the month, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw provided insights into the strides taken by India's railway and telecommunications sectors under the Modi government's leadership.
Vaishnaw's speech underscored the government's commitment to revolutionising infrastructure and fostering inclusive development across the nation.
Vaishnaw commenced his address by highlighting the progress achieved in railway infrastructure development. He revealed staggering statistics, stating, "Ten years back, the rate of track construction was about 4 km a day; today, it is 15 km a day."
Emphasising the magnitude of the transformation, he added, "Last year we added 5,200 kms which is like adding one Switzerland to the Indian Railway network. This year we are adding 5,500 km of tracks, which is like adding one Austria to the Indian Railway network. So we are like adding a full, complete national railway network to our network every year."
The minister also shed light on the station redevelopment programme, disclosing that 1,309 stations are currently undergoing transformation, marking the world's largest station redevelopment initiative.
Vaishnaw said, "Today we are doing the world's largest station redevelopment program, 1,309 stations are getting redeveloped."
Vaishnaw lauded the revival of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), stating, "BSNL, which was in bad shape, has revived. The company is making a Rs 1,500 cr EBITDA profit currently."
He reiterated the government's commitment to optimising the transport network and emphasised forthcoming major initiatives under the Modi 3.0 administration. (ANI)