Government approves crucial Palwal-Sonipat rail project, will decongest NCR network

The government Tuesday approved construction of the crucial Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Project from Palwal to Sonipat which will decongest the railway network in the National Capital Region and connect unserved areas of the state.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared the project to be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 5,617 crore and with a likely completion time of five years.

This rail line will facilitate diversion of traffic not meant for Delhi, thus decongesting the NCR network and will also help in developing multimodal logistics hubs in Haryana, the statement said.

The project runs via Sohna-Manesar-Kharkhauda and will have connectivity with all the existing railway routes originating from Delhi and passing through Haryana as well as with the Dedicated Freight Corridor network.

This rail line will start from Palwal and end at the existing Harsana Kalan station (On the Delhi-Ambala section).

This will also give connectivity en route to existing Patli Station (On Delhi-Rewari line), Sultanpur station (On Garhi Harsaru-Farukhnagar Line) and Asaudha Station (On Delhi Rohtak Line).

It will be implemented by the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HRIDC), a Joint Venture of the Ministry of Railways and the government of Haryana.

The project will have joint participation of the Railways, the Haryana government and private stakeholders.

Once completed, the project will benefit Palwal, Nuh, Gurugram, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts of Haryana.

It will provide high-speed seamless connectivity of this region to the dedicated freight corridor network resulting in the reduction of cost and time of transportation for EXIM traffic from NCR to the ports of India, making exports of goods more competitive, the statement said.

¨This efficient transport corridor along with other initiatives will provide enabling infrastructure to attract multinational industries to set up manufacturing units to fulfil the 'Make in India' mission,” the statement said.

The project will connect unserved areas of Haryana, thereby boosting economic and social activities in the state.

This multipurpose transport project will also facilitate affordable and faster commuter travel, long-distance travel in different directions from Gurugram and the industrial regions of Manesar, Sohna, Farukhnagar, Kharkhauda and Sonipat.

¨Approximately 20,000 passengers each day will be travelling through this line and 50 Million Tonnes goods traffic would also be carried out every year,¨ the statement said.

The alignment of this project is adjacent to the western peripheral (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) Expressway and has been under consideration for some time.