Raipur, 20 October 2026: A new and historic chapter was added today towards the expansion of rail connectivity in Chhattisgarh. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai flagged off the new passenger train services Rowghat – Raipur and Raipur – Kurud from the capital Raipur Railway Station.
On the same occasion, Tadoki – Rowghat and Abhanpur – Kurud railway sections were inaugurated and the foundation stone of modern electric railway engine maintenance facility was laid in Raipur.
Rowghat has been connected to the rail network for the first time after independence with the completion of the construction of the railway line from Tadoki to Rowghat. This achievement is especially important for the remote and tribal areas of Bastar and South Chhattisgarh. The new rail services will improve the connectivity of these areas with the capital Raipur and other major centers of the state and along with the traffic, trade, industry, education, health, employment and local economy will get a new impetus.
Congratulating the people of the state on this historic occasion, Chief Minister Sai said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an unprecedented phase of expansion of railway infrastructure is going on in Chhattisgarh. It is the effort of the Central and State double engine governments that the benefits of modern rail facilities should not be limited only to big cities, but should also reach the remote and tribal areas of the state including Bastar and Sarguja.
Sai said that reaching Rowghat by rail for the first time is not just the completion of a rail project but also the opening of new possibilities for the development of Bastar. Wherever the railway reaches, the pace of development increases. This makes movement of people easier, increases access to markets, encourages industries and investment and creates new employment and livelihood opportunities for the youth.
He said that this gift received by the state on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami is a matter of special happiness and pride for Chhattisgarh. Rowghat – Raipur and Raipur – Kurud rail services will strengthen the connectivity of the state and open new doors of development.
Addressing the programme, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, work is being done on a large scale for the development of railways in Chhattisgarh. At present, work is going on on railway development projects worth about Rs 54 thousand crore in the state. This year, a budget of Rs 7,470 crore has been allocated by Railways for Chhattisgarh.
He said that establishment of rail connectivity to Rowghat and starting of Rowghat-Raipur and Raipur-Kurud passenger rail services is an important link in this comprehensive development journey. In the coming time, work is also being done to develop rail connectivity from Rowghat to Jagdalpur. Along with this, efforts are also being made towards expanding the Rowghat-Jagdalpur-Koraput-Vishakhapatnam rail link. This will further strengthen the connectivity of South Chhattisgarh including Bastar with major rail networks and economic centers of the country.
Dallirajhara – Rowghat Rail Project is one of the important rail projects of Chhattisgarh. The total length of this project, costing approximately Rs 1,628 crore, is approximately 95 kilometers. With the completion of the 17.5 kilometer rail line between Tadoki and Rowghat, rail connectivity has been established up to Rowghat.
Reaching Rowghat by rail for the first time after independence is a historic achievement for Bastar region. Through this rail connection, the way to connect remote tribal areas with the capital and other major centers has been further strengthened. This will provide better transportation facilities to the local citizens and will also encourage economic activities, tourism, trade and industrial development of the area.
Under the Abhanpur – Dhamtari Gauge Conversion Project, gauge conversion of about 22 kilometers of railway line from Abhanpur to Kurud has been completed. With this, the rail connectivity of this region has got a new strength with the start of the new passenger train service between Raipur and Kurud.
Chief Minister Sai said that earlier narrow gauge rail service used to operate between Raipur and Dhamtari. Now, with the conversion of this railway into broad gauge, significant progress has been made in the direction of providing modern and better rail facilities to the passengers. After completion of the remaining work from Kurud to Dhamtari, the way for expansion of rail service from Raipur to Dhamtari will be further paved.
The Chief Minister said that after the formation of the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi in 2014, the picture of development of railways in Chhattisgarh has changed rapidly. He said that during the previous government, Chhattisgarh used to get a budget of about Rs 300 crore every year for railway development, whereas today it has increased to more than Rs 7 thousand crore.
The Chief Minister said that before the year 2014, about 32 kilometers of new railway lines were expanded in the state, whereas after the year 2014, about 1,328 kilometers of new railway tracks have been laid in Chhattisgarh. This change shows how much priority the railway development of Chhattisgarh has received under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
He said that with the significant increase in the railway budget, work is being done at a rapid pace on new railway lines, doubling, electrification, modernization of stations and expansion of passenger facilities.
Sai said that work is being done to develop 32 railway stations in Chhattisgarh with modern and world class facilities. Of these, eight railway stations have been developed and ready. Special emphasis has been laid on development of modern facilities, better premises and convenient environment for passengers in these stations.
He said that modern railway stations are not just an extension of passenger amenities but also promote economic activities, trade, tourism and employment in the respective cities. The new railway infrastructure being developed in the state is being prepared keeping in mind the needs of the coming years.
During the programme, the foundation stone of a modern electric railway engine maintenance facility was also laid in Raipur. With the development of this state-of-the-art facility, there will be a capacity to maintain 300 high horse power electric locomotives in future.
This facility will further improve the maintenance of railway engines, increase railway operating capacity and help in meeting the increasing needs of goods transportation. This project will also prove to be an important step towards developing Chhattisgarh as an important center of modern technical and maintenance infrastructure of Railways.
Sai expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for the expansion of rail network in Chhattisgarh and approval of new projects. Referring to various rail projects including Kharsia-Parmalkasa, Raoghat-Jagdalpur and Dongargarh-Katghora, he said that these projects will further strengthen rail connectivity in many areas of the state.
The Chief Minister also thanked the Union Railway Minister for including the demand for expanding rail connectivity from Pathalgaon in Jashpur district to Lohardaga area in the special package.
Sai said that Chhattisgarh is a geographically huge state and a large population here lives in remote, forest and tribal areas. The expansion of the rail network to such areas is going to bring a big change in the lives of the citizens. With increased rail connectivity, students will get access to education, patients will get better health facilities, farmers and producers will get access to bigger markets and youth will get employment opportunities.
He said that the aim of the government is to reach the benefits of development to the person standing in the last line of the society and modern transport infrastructure is an important medium to realize this resolution.
The Chief Minister said that today Bastar is moving forward rapidly on a new journey of peace, trust and development. Road, rail, electricity, telecommunication and other basic infrastructure are continuously being expanded in the area. The arrival of rail to Rowghat will further accelerate this transformative journey.
He said that with better rail connectivity, the natural and cultural wealth of Bastar will get a new identity in the country and the world. There will be facility in taking local products to big markets and new possibilities will develop for tourism, trade and industrial activities.
While wishing the people of the state on Vijayadashami, Sai said that Vijayadashami is the holy festival of victory of truth over untruth and religion over unrighteousness. On such an auspicious occasion, Chhattisgarh getting the gift of new railway services and modern railway infrastructure is a matter of joy and pride for all of us.
The Chief Minister said that due to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the efforts of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the rail network of Chhattisgarh is continuously expanding. The double engine government is working with the resolve to connect every area of the state with the mainstream of development.
He said that the railway reaching Rowghat is the beginning of a new journey of development. In the coming time, by connecting more remote areas of the state with modern rail network, Chhattisgarh will be rapidly moved towards making Chhattisgarh a developed state with better connectivity, strong economy and wide opportunities.
Raipur MP Brijmohan Aggarwal, Mahasamund MP Roopkumari Choudhary, Rajya Sabha MP Lakshmi Verma, Kanker MP Bhojraj Nag, MLA Rajesh Munat, Motilal Sahu, Purandar Mishra, former MP and MLA Vikram Usendi, South East Central Railway General Manager Tarun Prakash, Divisional Railway Manager Dayanand and a large number of dignitaries and public representatives were present in the programme.
