Khurda Road–Bolangir line

The Khurda Road–Bolangir line is a rail line between Khurda Road Junction and Balangir which is under construction.

Khurda Road–Bolangir line
Khurda Road, the starting station on Khurda Road–Bolangir line
Overview
StatusUnder construction
OwnerIndian Railways
LocaleOdisha
TerminiKhurda Road
Balangir
Service
Type1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operator(s)East Coast Railway zone
Technical
Line length92 KM completed. Completed sections = Bolangir to Bichhupali 16 KM and Mahipur to Khurda Road 76 KM
Track length306.25 km (190 mi)[1]
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Electrificationwork is under progress
Operating speed110 km/h (68 mph)
Route map
km
Jharsuguda–
Vizianagaram line
0
 Balangir
Jharsuguda–
Vizianagaram line
16
 Bichhupali
26
 Jhartarbha
49
 Sonepur
64
 Jharsamunda
81
 Boudh
110
 Champapur
112
 Puranakatak
130
 Charichhack
140
 Adhonigarh
149
 Banigoccha
165
 Buguda
191
 Dasapalla
208
 Nuagaon
218
 Mahipur
230
 Nayagarh Town
242
 Bolagarh Road
249
 Bolagarh Town PH
260
 Rajasunakhala
278
 Begunia
291
 Khurda Town
Khurda Road–
Visakhapatnam section
Kharagpur–Puri line
306
 Khurda Road Junction
Khurda Road–
Visakhapatnam section
km

History

It was surveyed in 1945 but the project was sanctioned in 1994–95. The state government has signed Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Railways to undertake some parts of the project on cost sharing basis.

The project which was initially estimated to be ₹1,000 crore (US$160 million) is now estimated to be nearly ₹2,000 crore (US$310 million) after almost 20 years of delay due to low budgetary provisions and issues of land acquisition.

This rail line will link cities of Nayagarh, Phulbani, Boudh and Sonepur with Bhubaneswar and Bolangir. Smaller towns like Dasapalla, Banigochha and Mahipur will also be linked by this rail line. Work at Bolangir side of this project is completed up till Bichhupali and Bhainsapali.

The Khurda Road–Bolangir rail line will connect Khurda Road to Balangir in a shorter way through Daspalla.[2]

A new 306.25 km-long railway line from Balangir to Khurda Road junction was sanctioned in 1994 and its foundation stone was laid in June 2001 but there has been very little progress in construction of this railway line. Out of 306.25 km length, 26 km is in Balangir district. Even all the land required for the railway line had not been acquired until the end of 2011.

In 2015–16 Rail Budget, the rail line got a green signal from Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu as Rs 4682 crore was allotted for Odisha. As construction will be done in three phases, first between Khurda Road to Begunia a 36 km stretch then 76 km from Begunia to Daspalla and 194.25 km from Daspalla to Balangir via Phulbani & Bhainsapali under the review of Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik.[3][4][5][6]

In July 2016, Railway minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the Khordha Road–Begunia 36 km stretch and tracks are being laid from Begunia to Nayagarh which was completed by June 2017 and whole project to be completed in 2021. Presently five trains run regularly between Khurda Road (KUR) and Nayagarh Town (NYGT) station.

On 15 January 2019 the prime minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi inaugurated the first train from Balangir to Bicchupalli Station on Bolangir–Khurda Road route.

This will connect Nayagarh, Phulbani, Boudh, Sonepur and Balangir which are economically backward districts in the state.[7]

Current Status

The 41.5-km railway line between Khurda Road and Rajsunakhala has already been commissioned and two pairs of trains are running along the stretch.

On 20 March 2017, Mr Suresh Prabhu flag off the extension of Khurda Road-Rajsunakhala passenger train up to newly built Bolagarh Road station.

Nayagarh was put on the railway map of the country on 19 June 2017 when railway minister Suresh Prabhu formally dedicated the new line from Bolagarh Road to Nayagarh as part of the ongoing Khurda Road-Balangir project. Mr Suresh Prabhu commissioned the 12.8 km line formally by video link from New Delhi.

On 30 October 2018, a trial run on the newly laid railway track between Bolangir and Bhainsapalli(renamed as Bhichhupalli) on Khurda–Bolangir route was conducted.

On 15 January 2019 the prime minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi inaugurated the first train from Balangir to Bicchupalli station on Bolangir–Khurda Road route.

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Saturday (20 July 2019) conducted trial run of an engine on newly built track from Nayagarh Town to Mahipur (12 km) in the ongoing Khurda Road–Balangir (289-km) railway line project. ECoR has already completed and commissioned about 80 km of rail line, including 65.455 km from Khurda Road to Nayagarh Town and 14.580 km from Balangir to Bichhupalli of the 25-year-old project. With the newly built 12 km rail line from Nayagarh Town to Mahipur, altogether 92 km rail line of Khurda Road–Balangir ongoing project has been completed.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday (26 December 2019) inaugurated the railway line between Nayagarh Town and Mahipur railway station as part of the ongoing Khurda Road–Bolangir rail project.

References
  1. "Length of the track". Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  2. "Odisha to provide free land, bear 50% cost of Khurda–Bolangir railway project". The Hindu. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. Bijoy, Sujit (17 September 2015). "Khurda Road-Balangir rail line work from Dec". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. Odisha CM plea to Prabhu for MoUs on new rail lines
  5. Naveen Patnaik Reviews Khurda-Balangir Rail Project
  6. Odisha, Rlys in pact for Khurda Road–Bolangir rail link
  7. Train services to be extended to Bolagarh by June end

7.https://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhubaneswar/odisha-year-on-bichhupali-station-inaugurated-by-pm-gets-two-passengers-a-day/amp_articleshow/73263728.cms

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