The ‘bhoomi pujan’ ceremony of the long-anticipated Haryana’s Orbital Rail Corridor Section A (HORC) project will be held on Friday. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will be attending the ceremony along with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The ceremony will take place near Pataudi Road Toll Plaza along the Kundli–Manesar–Palwal Expressway.
The project will improve the rail connectivity in the National Capital Region. It will also partially decongest the rail corridor in Delhi. The HORC project from Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna-Manesar-Kharkhoda received its approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 15, 2020.
The project will be implemented by Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HRIDC). It is a Joint Venture company set up by the Ministry of Railways with the Government of Haryana.
Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Section A project
The Section A of the HORC projects stretches from Dhulawat to Badshah. The 29.5-km-long electrified dual-track railway line will pass through Nuh and Gurugram districts. The project includes civil works, electrification, signaling and telecommunications.
It will also have five new railway stations and 15.6 km route connectivity to Indian Railways (IR) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) at three interchange points. The entire HORC program comprises 125.98 km of new railway line from New Prithla to New Harsana Kalan.
Significance of Haryana Orbital Rail Network (HORC)
The HORC project is poised to bring significant advantages to the residents of Palwal. Rather than having to traverse Faridabad and Delhi, it will offer a more convenient rail connection directly to Chandigarh. Additionally, the development of new industrial cities alongside the Kundli–Manesar–Palwal Expressway (KMP) will lead to increased employment opportunities for the youth in the area. The rail corridor will enable running of passenger trains on this route. It will also facilitate the diversion of goods traffic not meant for Delhi and will help in developing multimodal hubs in NCR region of Haryana.