Decision to benefit both passenger & goods; New rail line in Kutch to boost tourism by connecting the bordering Rann of Kutch, Harappan site Dholavira, Koteshwar temple, Narayan Sarovar & Lakhpat fort
Transportation of coal, cement, clinker, fly-ash, steel, containers, fertilizers, agriculture commodities and Petroleum products etc to get a boost as Railways add 565 route kms to its existing network.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved Four projects of Ministry of Railways with totalcost of Rs. 12,328 Crore (approx.). These projects include: -
(1)Deshalpar – Hajipir – Luna and Vayor – Lakhpat New Line
(2)Secunderabad (Sanathnagar) – Wadi 3rd and 4th Line
(3)Bhagalpur – Jamalpur 3rd line
(4)Furkating – New Tinsukia Doubling
The above projects aim to ensure seamless and faster transportation of both passengers and goods. These initiatives will provide connectivity & improve travel convenience besides reducing logistic cost and decrease dependence on oil imports. Additionally, the projects will contribute to lower CO2 emissions, thereby supporting sustainable and efficient rail operations.The projects will also generate direct employment for about 251 (Two Hundred and Fifty-one) lakhhuman-days during its construction.
The proposed new line will provide connectivity to far-fetched area of Kutch region. It will add 145 route km & 164 track km to the existing railway network in Gujarat with an estimated cost of 2526 crore rupees. The completion timeline of the project is 3 years. Besides promoting the tourism in the state of Gujarat, the new rail line will help in transportation of salt, cement, coal, clinker & bentonite. The strategic importance of the project is that it will provide connectivity to Rann of Kutch. Harappan site Dholavira, Koteshwar temple, Narayan Sarovar &Lakhpat fort will also come under the rail network as 13 new railway stations will be added benefitting 866 villages and about 16 Lakh population.
In a major Connectivity boost, the approved Multi-tracking projects will enhance connectivity to approx. 3,108 villages and about 47.34 lakh population and one Aspirational District (Kalaburagi) benefitting the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar & Assam. The completion timeline for 173 km long Secunderabad (Sanathnagar) – Wadi 3rd and 4th Line, spanning across Karnataka & Telangana, having cost of 5012 crores, is five years while for the 53 km long Bhagalpur – Jamalpur 3rd line in Bihar, it is three years, for which the cost is 1156 crore rupees. The work for 194 km long Furkating – New Tinsukia Doubling, having the cost of 3634 crore rupees, will be completed in four years.
The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion. The projects are in line withPrime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji’s Vision of a New India which will make people of the region “Atmanirbhar” by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/ self-employment opportunities.
The projects are planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focused on enhancing multi-modal connectivity &logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. The four projects covering 13 Districts across the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 565 Kms.
These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, flyash, steel, containers, fertilizers, agriculture commodities and Petroleum products etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 68 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). The Railways being environment friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (56 Crore Litres) and lower CO2 emissions (360 Crore Kg) which is equivalent to plantation of 14 Crore trees.
The proposed projects aim to enhance logistical efficiency by augmenting line capacity along critical routes for transportation of coal, containers, cement, agricultural commodities, Automobile, POL, Iron & Steel and other goods. These improvements are expected to optimize supply chains, thereby facilitating accelerated economic growth.
A small brief on Secunderabad – Wadi 3rd & 4th Line project
Secunderabad (Sanathnagar) – Wadi 3rd& 4th Railway Line is one of the important infrastructure projects in Telangana. This involves construction of 3rd line between Sanathnagar – Hafizpet and construction of 3rd & 4thline between Hafizpet – Wadi. This important line is for a distance of 173 Kms and construction of 3rd & 4th line is estimated to cost nearly Rs.5, 012 Crores. The Railway Line falls under Telangana and Karnataka states. This line is saturated with operation of both coaching and freight trains and hence proposed for construction of 3rd & 4thline.The line helps in serving the Cement industries, thermal power plants and there is lot of potential for Cement and Clinker transportation. This provides fillip to the Cement industry for increasing their production with the help of better transportation avenues. This project is expected to be completed in the period of 5 years. Approximate land required is 226 hectares. Additional Paths will be generated for both coaching/freight trains which will generate additional revenue. Detention of trains will be reduced. The project will facilitate additional loading on the section in the post-commissioning scenario.
