Bhubaneswar | Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday flagged off the Nanded-Mumbai and Tanakpur-Nanded Express trains, besides inaugurating the extension of the Tanakpur-Pilibhit train service up to Shahjahanpur through video conferencing from here.

Vaishnaw, who is in Odisha to review the railways' preparations for the upcoming Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri and to flag off two Odisha-origin trains later in the day, launched the new services from Rail Sadan here.

Addressing the event, the minister said the newly launched train services would improve rail connectivity and benefit passengers, particularly the Sikh community in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

"There was a consistent demand from our Sikh brothers and sisters living in the Terai region. A train service connecting Nanded via Washim and Hingoli to Mumbai has also been started today, which will improve connectivity for several districts in Vidarbha and Marathwada with Mumbai. Some train services connecting Pilibhit, Agra and Tanakpur have also been launched," he said.

Vaishnaw said the railways would examine the demand for providing stoppages at Khatima and Banbasa.

"If it becomes possible, we will definitely provide a stoppage for this train at Khatima and Banbasa," he said.

The minister also announced that the Tanakpur-Pilibhit train service had been extended up to Shahjahanpur in UP and said the Tanakpur-Agra service, which earlier operated as a special train, had now been regularised.

Highlighting the achievements of the railways over the past 12 years, Vaishnaw said around 37,000 km of new tracks had been laid, while electrification had reached 99.6 per cent.

He said the railways would operate 100 special trains for passengers travelling during the Onam festival in Kerala. More than 300 trains would also be operated for the Rath Yatra in Puri, he added.

Vaishnaw, a Rajya Sabha member from Odisha, said the railway network in the state would undergo a major transformation as projects worth more than Rs 90,000 crore were being implemented there.