The Rajdhani Express with Tejas coaches, offering upgraded amenities, commenced its regular operations from the state capital of Odisha on Saturday.
The first Tejas rake was introduced via the Sambalpur route, and additional rakes are set to be introduced in the near future, as per officials.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan jointly inaugurated the train’s maiden journey from Bhubaneswar.
The regular service of this train is now operational through Sambalpur City and Rourkela, confirmed an official. Kalyan Patnaik, the additional divisional railway manager of Khurda Road Division, conducted an inspection of the train before its departure to New Delhi.
In a related update, the railway authorities have announced the extension of the Puri-Patna-Puri and Bhubaneswar-Dhanbad-Bhubaneswar Special trains until the last week of October. This decision was based on a review of passenger demand and public requests, stated an official release.
The services of the 08439 Puri-Patna Special departing from Puri on Saturdays have been extended until October 28. Similarly, the train departing from Patna on Sundays will continue running until October 29.
Furthermore, the 02832 Bhubaneswar-Dhanbad Special is scheduled to operate until October 31, while the 02831 Dhanbad-Bhubaneswar Special will run until November 1. The timings and stops for these trains will remain unchanged, according to the release.
(With PTI inputs)
