Construction of the Jhartarbha-Sonepur section ofKhurdaRoad-Balangir new line will be over by August-end. This 21.7 km section will bring this western Odisha town on the RAILWAY map. FromBalangir, the railway line has been completed tillJhartarbha.
The project sanctioned in 1994-95 has been delayed due to several reasons, including court cases and lack of forest clearance. So far, the railways has commissioned 115 km of railway line out of 301km. It has completed 90.4km from Khurda Road toNuagaonand 24.9km from Balangir to Jhartarabha.