ROURKELA: Despite persistent challenges and sluggish pace of work, the next two block sections of the much-anticipated Talcher-Bimlagarh new rail line project are scheduled for commissioning pending safety clearance from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS).
On March 22, a trial run was conducted on the newly laid stretch spanning 9.77 km from Sunakhani to Samal.
Sources within the East Coast Railway (ECoR) disclosed that the commissioning process entails rigorous safety inspections and trial runs. Application has already been filed with the CRS and the ECoR is assured of getting safety clearance for the Sunakhani to Samal stretch in a week, while the next completed stretch of about 6.53 km from Samal to Parabil is all set to get clearance from the CRS by April, sources added.
Simultaneously, efforts are underway to advance the project’s next phase, encompassing a 14.2-km stretch between Parabil and Khamar. Additionally, construction activities including earthwork, bridge, and building construction are progressing along the 19.3-km stretch from Kharmar to Srirampur.
The tender process has been initiated for a stretch of 9.475 km from Srirampur to Pallahara.
With a major portion of the required land acquired, the ECoR intends to launch a single Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) tender for the remaining 73.18-km stretch from Pallahara to Bimlagarh in the coming months.
Expressing concern over the prolonged timeline, Rourkela Development Steering Committee (RDSC) chairman Subrata Patnaik said it took 12 years to lay 33.92 km despite the fact that this key rail line is going to play a very significant role for freight and passenger movements for further industrial and economic growth of the region.
“Due to land acquisition hurdles the land cost overrun saw increase of about 1,500 per cent. The initial estimated cost of the project was Rs 810.78 crore in 2007-08 which got upwardly revised to Rs 1,928.07 crore in November 2016, adding considering the revised completion target by 2026 end the cost overrun is likely to reach Rs 3,000 crore,” he informed.
