Railway tracks between Jamshedpur and Chakradharpur. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, May 11: Call it a summer sop.

Come June, railway stations like Banspani, Jaruli, Nayagarh and Joda, which fall under the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER), will get direct rail link to Puri. The SER today decided to run passenger trains between Banspani and Jaruli, which connect Keonjhar and Puri.

The broad gauge railway tracks between these two stations, which was commissioned in 2007, was so far confined to goods train. The decision to throw it open to passenger trains was taken following an inspection by commissioner of railway safety Sudarshan Naik today. Divisional railway manager of Chakradharpur Achal Khare was also a part of the inspection team.

Senior divisional commercial manager of Chakradharpur A.K. Haldar, also a railway spokesperson, confirmed the developments. “We plan to introduce passenger trains between Banspani and Jaruli from next month. This will reduce the time of journey,” he told The Telegraph.

According to Haldar, the commissioner of railway safety took stock of passenger am-enities like seating arrangements, platform shades, ticket booking counters and height of platforms on the route during today’s inspection. “For running passenger trains, it is mandatory for the commissioner of railway safety to certify the route,” he added.

The railway spokesperson said initially Puri-Keonjhar Express would be extended up to Banspani. “Depending on the response, the railways might think of increasing traffic on that route,” he added.

There has been a huge demand for opening the route for passenger trains. Passengers from Joda, an industrial town, commute to Keonjhar, Puri, Bhubaneshwar, Balasore and other places in Orissa regularly. But in the absence of a direct rail link, they were forced to either travel to Kharagpur or Jharsuguda for boarding a train to the temple town and other destinations.

Railway sources said passengers demanding a direct rail link to Puri had on several occasions staged agitation at Joda and other railway stations. Representatives of various trade and industry bodies, including Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had also raised the issue at the meetings of divisional railway user’s consultative committee meetings.

A rough estimate revealed that on an average, over 100 passengers daily travel to Puri and Keonjhar from Joda, Banspani and other railway stations.

Several passengers go to Barbil to board the Howrah-bound Janshatabdi Express. They get down at Kharagpur to take a train for Puri.