Many people are preferring that this train should go from PURI to BBN by bypassing Dangoaposi (DPS) i.e. by running through the upcoming new BSPX - BBN line. This will save both distance and time making it to reach CKP earlier and it will get chance for extension to ROU or JSG. It will also not affect the passengers of DPS as it will reach DPS in this way - BSPX - BBN - BJMD - NOMD - DPS. The stations before BSPX will coincide with those of train 18416 (PURI BARBIL EXPRESS) and the stations after DPS will coincide with those of train 18404 (BARBIL CHAKRADHARPUR EXPRESS). But, there are the following problems in this proposal:
1. What about the stations...
more... Murgamahadev Road (MMVR) and Deojhar (DJHR)? They will be completely bypassed and this is the only train having stoppage at these stations. I mean all the trains not having stoppage at these stations like train no 18515/18516 (TATANAGAR - VISAKHAPATNAM WEEKLY EXPRESS), 08189/08190 (TATANAGAR - VISAKHAPATNAM DP DIWALI SPECIAL EXPRESS), and 07438/07439 (KACHEGUDA - TATANAGAR HOLIDAY SPECIAL EXPRESS), can run in the above said route because they have no stoppage between BSPX and DPS but this train 18415/18416 cannot be made to lose two stations from its route.
2. Also most people feel it very weird that this train runs from PURI to DPS, then after reversing Loco from DPS to BBN, then after reversing Loco again, BBN to DPS and then from DPS to CKP. On one run it runs through the DPS - BBN segment twice. But people forget that the train running between PURI and BBN and that running between BBN and CKP are different trains having different train nos. They just have rake sharing which is a totally different matter. Any train can have rake sharing with any other train. Anyone of both the rake shared trains has nothing to do with the route of the other train. See, that train 18415/18416 has stoppage at Noamundi but train 18403/18404 has no stoppage at Noamundi, why? Because officially both are different trains. Initially train 18403/18404 had no stoppage at Bara Jamda also but Bara Jamda has been stoppage of the train 18415/18416 right from the beginning.