Barbil railway station 3.56

Barbil railway station, located in the Indian state of Odisha, serves Barbil in Kendujhar district.HistoryThe Rajkharswan-Dongoaposi line was opened in 1924 and extended to Gua in 1925.Rajkharsawan-Dangoaposi section was electrified in 1960-61. It was extended to Noamundi in 1965-66. The Padapahar-Deojhar and Noamundi-Barajamda sections were electrified in 1966-67, and the same year electrificaion was extended to Gua and Bolanikhadan. The branch line between Rajkharswan and Dongoaposi was amongst one of the first routes on the Indian Railways to be electrified with 25 KV-AC traction.Iron oreThe area around Barbil has a number of private iron ore mines. The Barbil-Joda region is the highest iron ore producing region in the country. The annual output is around 40 million tonnes of lump and fines. State-wise, Odisha is the largest producer of iron ore in the country. It is the basic raw material for sponge iron and steel producers, many of whom who do not have access to captive mines. Moreover, India exports nearly two third of its iron ore production. Iron ore transport is a major task of the railway network in the region.TrainsThere is a Jan Shatabdi from Barbil to Howrah, an express train to Puri, a passenger train to Tatanagar and an inter-city express to Chakradharpur.