Gunupur: The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has completed 95 per cent of the electrification work of the Naupada-Gunupur railway route.
The railway authorities checked the electrification work Sunday.
Kolkata Railway Safety Commissioner Abhya Kumar Rai, Waltair DRM Chetan Kumar Srivastav, Chief Electrical Engineer B. Panda and the Chief Traffic Manager reached the Gunupur railway station by a special train.
After checking the electrification work they also inspected developmental works in some railway stations in the district.
The DRM has instructed the station authorities to arrange proper parking system in the railway station as the auto-rickshaws and bikes parked at the entry gate of Gunupur railway station were creating problems for passengers.
Various outfits of Gunupur had given memorandum to the DRM to expedite the Gunupur-Therubali railway project.
After completion of the electrification project in this railway section, trains with electric locomotives will be introduced instead of diesel ones. This will increase the speed of trains and reduce the fuel cost.
The local outfits also demanded extension of the Bhubaneswar-Palasa EMU train till Gunupur, to change the schedule of Palasa-Gunupur fast passenger, extension of Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Garib Rath and Cuttack-Palasa train to Gunupur, second railway line in Pedasena, Gangawada, Hadubangi and Lihuri station, foot-over bridge at Gunupur railway station and second platform at Gunupur and Paralakhemundi stations.
The DRM said the tender process has also been started to increase the height of the Gunupur and Paralakhemundi railway platforms.
PNN