Bhubaneswar, Sept 15: The East Coast Railway is planning to set up a second railway station, called New Bhubaneswar, between Barang and the existing Bhubaneswar station.

The railway ministry had announced in its 2009-10 budget that it would build 50 world class railway stations across the country including one at Bhubaneswar.

“Though it was initially conceptualised to be a world class railway station, the work on all such proposals was frozen by the railway board,” East Coast Railway general manager Indra Ghosh said today.

“Keeping in view the high volume of rail traffic, the East Coast Railway is planning to have New Bhubaneswar as a satellite passenger terminal for Bhubaneswar city,” he said.

The new station could be anywhere between Barang, 15km from the city, and Mancheswar, on the city’s northern outskirts. The proposal has been sent to the railway board.

Sources said nearly seven lakh passengers a month depended on the existing railway station, through which more than 120 trains run everyday.

The railway authorities also propose to upgrade the existing railway station in the next three years. The plan includes a multi-level parking lot, a new station building and two additional platforms.

Railway officials, while making a detailed presentation about their future plans to the chief minister this week, had also proposed to the state to construct a flyover on Janpath at Master Canteen roundabout so that there is no traffic congestion at the entry route to the station. It has also urged the state to relocate the bus stand outside the station so that it could be expanded.