ROURKELA: In a significant move to boost railway infrastructure in Sundargarh district, the final location survey (FLS) is underway for the new broad gauge Sardega-Birmitrapur-Bangurkela rail line of 150 km length for preparation of the detailed project report.
The proposed new rail route under the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway (SER) is largely envisioned to expand freight capacity while also catering to passenger movement.
It would start from coal-mining belt at Sardega in Hemgir block and pass through the dolomite and limestone-rich pockets of Birmitrapur to connect the Rourkela-Hatia-Ranchi main line at Bangurkela in Bisra block. Birmitrapur, about 30 km from Rourkela, is a hub for generation and transportation of dolomite and limestone transit.
In a letter to Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) member Ramesh Agarwal on January 21, the office of the SER general manager informed that FLS is underway for Sardega-Birmitrapur-Bangurkela line for preparation of DPR. Final alignment for the line would be finalised after completion of the survey and DPR.
Agarwal said the new route further envisages to serve as a key link in the broader plan for the upcoming Sardega-Sundargarh-Pathalgaon-Ambikapur rail network. While there are existing rail lines from Sardega to Jharsuguda on the Howrah-Mumbai main line of SER, the proposed route connecting the upcoming Sardega-Sundargarh-Pathalgaon-Ambikapur line would extend further to establish direct rail link to Renukoot in Uttar Pradesh to connect the Howrah-Delhi main line.
Incidentally, the South East Central Railway (SECR) has already submitted DPR for the Sardega-Sundargarh-Pathalgaon-Ambikapur new rail line of 218 km to the Railway Ministry for approval.
Significantly, another proposed line of 152 km from Ambikapur to Renukoot on the Howrah-Delhi main line is also in the pipeline.
Both the proposals of Sardega-Sundargarh-Pathalgaon-Ambikapur rail line and Sardega-Birmitrapur-Bangurkela line envisage to cover unserved pockets of the tribal-dominated Sundargarh and establish the missing links to create direct rail connectivity in three directions.