Fact 🧞‍♂️

🧞‍♂️ SpotGenie Fact: India’s Smallest Railway Station: Banspani (Odisha)

Banspani in Odisha is India’s smallest railway station, a tiny platform hidden in a mining belt that quietly powers India’s iron-ore economy. | SpotGenie Fact.

Pratik Kamble

09 Nov 2025 — 2 min read

SpotGenie Fact: India’s Smallest Railway Station: Banspani (Odisha)

🚉 A Station So Small… You Might Miss It If You Blink!

Hidden deep inside the mineral belt of Odisha is a railway station so tiny, so minimal, and so quiet that it feels almost mythical.
Welcome to Banspani Railway Station, widely regarded as India’s smallest operational railway station, a single, modest platform in the heart of the Keonjhar district.

What makes it even more fascinating?
Despite being incredibly small, Banspani plays a crucial role in India’s iron-ore freight movement, proving that even the smallest stations can have the biggest impact.

🧭 Key Validated Facts (as of October 2025)

Station Name: Banspani Railway Station
Station Code: BSPX
Location: Keonjhar District, Odisha
Railway Zone: South Eastern Railway (SER)
Line: Padapahar–Banspani branch line
Elevation: ~457 m
Platforms: 1 small platform (minimal length)
Tracks: 2
Primary Use: Passenger stop + large-scale mineral freight (iron ore from the Barbil–Joda mining belt)
Notable: Known for being the smallest operational railway station in India due to its extremely short platform, tiny station building, and minimal infrastructure.

Note: Banspani’s “smallest” status refers to its platform size + station building footprint, a classification commonly referred to in Indian Railways trivia and local records.

🌟 Why This Station Is So Unique

While major stations boast massive concourses and footbridges, Banspani feels like a postcard from the earliest days of Indian Railways, a single tiny platform, a one-room station building, and dense forested hills all around.

Yet its importance? Massive.
It handles heavy iron-ore freight from one of India’s richest mineral belts, the Barbil–Joda region.
So despite its size, Banspani keeps the wheels of India’s steel economy moving.

🔍 Fun Trivia

Banspani is one of the rare stations where freight traffic dominates far more than passenger movement.
The station is frequently used by miners, local workers, and rail enthusiasts exploring Odisha’s mining corridor.
Its simplicity makes it a favorite feature in railway quizzes and trivia lists.