Rourkela Junction railway station (station code:- ROU) is a railway junction located in the north-western part of the Indian state of Odisha and serves Rourkela in Sundergarh district. Rourkela is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Odisha. Mumbai CSTM – Howrah Gitanjali Express passes through Rourkela.

Rourkela Junction
Indian Railways junction station
Rourkela junction railway station
General information
Location	Near New Bus Stand, Rourkela, Odisha  India
Coordinates	22°13′39″N 84°51′46″E
Elevation	219 m (719 ft)
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	South Eastern Railways
Line(s)	Tatanagar–Bilaspur section of Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line, Rourkela–Ranchi section of Rourkela–Hatia–Ranchi line
Platforms	5
Tracks	5 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Connections	Auto stand
Construction
Structure type	Standard (on ground station)
Parking	Yes
Disabled access	Available
Other information
Status	Functioning
Station code	ROU
Zone(s)	South Eastern Railway zone
Division(s)	Chakradharpur
History
Opened	1891; 131 years ago (1891)
Electrified	1961–62
Previous names	Bengal Nagpur Railway
Services
Preceding station Indian Railways Following station Bondamunda towards ? South Eastern Railway zone Tatanagar–Bilaspur section of Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line Panposh towards ?
Location
Rourkela Junction Location in Odisha Show map of Odisha Rourkela Junction Location in India Show map of India
Interactive map

History

Rourkela railway station came up with the opening of the Nagpur–Asansol main line of Bengal Nagpur Railway in 1891. It became a station on the crosscountry Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line in 1900.[1] Rourkela was connected to Barsuan iron ore mines in 1960.[2] In earlier days the railway station of Rourkela was within the village of Mahulpali. The railway station gained in importance with the setting up of India's first public sector steel plant at Rourkela in the nineteen fifties.[3] It was electrified in 1961–62.[4]

Busy station

Rourkela railway station is amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.[5] 10 trains originate at Rourkela and 101 trains(including weeklies and bi-weeklies) pass through it.[6] It is situated on the Kolkata–Mumbai South Eastern railway line which is a major route connecting the two metros of India. Rourkela is connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Asansol, Ranchi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, Patna, Vishakhapatnam, Jamshedpur, Raipur, Cuttack, Puri, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Jammu & Kashmir and Ranchi.

Bimlagarh–Talcher project

The 156 km (97 mi) long line connecting Bimlagarh on the Bondamunda–Barsuan branch line and Talcher on the Sambalpur–Talcher–Barang branch line, was sanctioned in 2004–05 and construction is in progress. This line when complete would reduce the distance between Rourkela and Bhubaneswar, the state capital, from 460 km (via Sambalpur) to 300 km.[7]

Bondamunda - Rourkela (Diesel & Electric) Locomotive Shed

Two locomotive sheds, one for steam locomotives and the other for diesel locomotives, was set up at Bondamunda in the 1950s. The steam locomotive shed was closed in the late 1980s. An electric locomotive shed was started in 1983 to accommodating six WAM-4 locomotives. As of 2019, it accommodates 242 electric locomotives and is being expanded. A new electric locomotive shed is under construction having capacity of 200 WAG-9 locomotives.

References

External links

• Trains at Rourkela

Rourkela travel guide from Wikivoyage