Balasore railway station (station code: BLS) is a railway station serving the town of Balasore (also spelt Baleswar), the headquarters of the Balasore district in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. It lies on the Howrah–Chennai main line and is one of the principal halts on the Kharagpur–Khurda Road section of the East Coast Railway. The station is administered under the Khurda Road railway division of the East Coast Railway zone of Indian Railways.
| Station name | Balasore |
|---|---|
| Station code | BLS |
| Location | Balasore, Balasore district, Odisha |
| Country | India |
| Owned by | Indian Railways |
| Operated by | East Coast Railway zone |
| Division | Khurda Road |
| Line | Howrah–Chennai main line |
| Electrified | Yes |
The station is situated in the town of Balasore in northern coastal Odisha, close to the Bay of Bengal and not far from the state border with West Bengal. It serves as the railhead for the Balasore district and provides access to nearby destinations including the temple town of Remuna, the beach at Chandipur, and the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-Sea operated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Rail connectivity to Balasore was established as part of the construction of the trunk line linking Calcutta (now Kolkata) with Madras (now Chennai) along the eastern seaboard. The Howrah–Chennai main line through coastal Odisha was developed in stages by the late nineteenth century, with the section between Cuttack and Balasore opened during this expansion of the East Coast railway alignment. After Indian independence, the station was operated successively under the South Eastern Railway and, following the reorganisation of Indian Railway zones in 2003, was placed under the East Coast Railway, with administrative supervision under the Khurda Road division.
Balasore is a stop for a large number of long-distance express and superfast trains running between Howrah/Kolkata and southern India, as well as for trains connecting Odisha with northern, western and north-eastern parts of the country. Several Rajdhani, Duronto, Vande Bharat and Shatabdi-class services pass through, with selected stops at the station. Passenger and MEMU services on the Kharagpur–Bhadrak section also use the station, supporting daily commuter movement within the district.
As the busiest railway station in northern Odisha and a major commercial halt on the Howrah–Chennai corridor, Balasore handles substantial passenger and freight traffic. It is an important node for regional economic activity, serving the cashew, fisheries and small-scale manufacturing sectors of the district, and acts as the main gateway for visitors travelling to Chandipur and the surrounding coastal belt.