The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved three railway projects with a total estimated cost of about Rs 6456 crore.
Part of the the PM Gati Shakti Master plan, these projects will increase the Indian Railways’ (IR) network by 296 route kilometres. The three projects cover seven districts across the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. The details of these projects are given in the table below.
| Line type | From | To | Will connect | Route Kilometre | Estimated cost in Rs crore | Employment generation in lakh man days | Reduction in CO2 emissions in crore kg |
| New Line Double | Sardega | Bhalumuda | Jharsuguda- Dharamjaygarh | 37 | 1360 | 25 | 84 |
| New Line Single | Bargarh Road | Nawapara Road | Sambalpur-Raipur | 138 | 2926 | 47 | 82 |
| Third line | Chandil | Damodar | Tatanagar (Jamshedpur) – Asansol | 121 | 2170 | 42 | 74 |
Project Benefits
These three projects are situated on essential routes for transportation of agriculture products, fertilizer, coal, iron ore, steel, cement and limestone. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic to the tune of 45 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).
These projects will reduce oil imports by 10 crore litres besides lowering CO2 emissions by 240 Crore Kg, equivalent to planting 9.7 crore trees.
The two new line projects will connect about 1,300 villages having a population of about 11 lakh population. The multi tracking (3rd line) will touch the lives of about 19 lakh people living in about 1300 villages. Further project details are given below:
Bargarh Road – Nawapara Road new line : 138 km
This 138-km line (marked in red) will reduce the distance between Sambalpur and Raipur by about 87 km. It covers two important districts of Odisha; Bargarh and Nawapara.
A goods shed at Padampur has been planned for outward rice transportation as well as inward cement, steel and fertilizer movement. This line will also connect the famous Nrusinghanath Temple.
Sardega (Sundargarh District) – Bhalumuda (Raigarh District) new double Line : 37 km
The line (marked in red above) will connect Sardega in Sundargarh district of Odisha to Bhalumuda in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh. Presently, there is no bus service between Sardega to Bhalumuda.
The large tribal population with common cultural and social relations will benefit from this line. It will also provide a shorter route from Jharsuguda in Odisha to Dharamjaygarh in Chhattisgarh.
Tatanagar (Jamshedpur) Purulia Asansol 3rd line -121 km
The 121 -km 3rd line ( in red) will actually be laid between Chandil Jn. and Damodar via Anara Jn. This project will strengthen the railway connectivity between two major trunk routes, that is, Howrah- Delhi and Howrah- Mumbai .
This section handles transportation of iron-ore to and finished steel from Burnpur and Durgapur Steel Plants. This project will also serve tourist destinations such as Maithan Dam and Churilia besides the temples of KaIyaneswari and Ghagar Buri Chandi.
