ODISHA (Metro Rail News): Indian Railways has approved a Rs 135 crore rail flyover project at Bondamunda in Odisha. The project aims to improve train movement on the busy Rourkela-Bondamunda section. It will separate freight and passenger trains, allowing Indian Railways to handle the traffic more efficiently.
The new flyover will stretch 4.9 km from Bondamunda ‘A’ cabin to Bondamunda Link ‘B’ cabin under South-Eastern Railway. Indian Railways has planned this project to meet the rising demand for freight transportation from the region’s mining and steel industries.
The need of this project
The Rourkela-Bondamunda section is an important industrial rail corridor. Freight traffic on this route is expected to rise in the coming years because of:
- Expansion of SAIL’s Barsua-Taldih-Kalta mining complex
- Higher production at Rourkela Steel Plant
- Planned doubling of this High-Density Network (HDN) route
It is expected that in coming years more freight trains will run on this corridor. That’s why Indian Railways decided to build the flyover to improve traffic flow and avoid delays. The new structure will separate freight trains from passenger train operations. This will reduce congestion at Bondamunda Yard and improve train movement on the route. It will increase line capacity and enhance operational efficiency. This project will also help in making train operations more reliable by reducing conflicts between passenger and freight trains.
Major boost for freight movement
Once this project becomes operational, the corridor will handle an additional 8 million tonnes of freight traffic every year. The extra capacity will support the transportation of minerals, steel products and other industrial cargo. Indian Railways has included the project under its Energy, Mineral, and Cement Corridor program. This program focuses on strengthening rail infrastructure in industrial regions and improving logistics for industries that depend heavily on freight transportation.
Also Read: Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper moves closer to launch with arrival of trainsets