The Ministry of Railways shared the progress report of the Angul-Sukinda New Line Project, on Friday. It is an 82.70 km long project. When operational, it will give a push to the “coal and iron ore” movement in the region.
“On completion, this line will give a boost to the movement of coal and iron ore, as well as provide a faster, more economical & alternative mode of transportation in the region,” informed the ministry.
Progress report and completed works of Angul-Sukinda New Line Project:
• Physical progress – 90%
• Major bridges – 21/23
• ROB/RUB – 58/58
• Track Linking – 85.4 km
• Minor Bridges – 230/230
Between Iron-Ore rich areas of Odisha (Joda-Barbil) and Steel and Sponge iron industries in Angul region, this new rail line will provide a direct link. It will also provide a shorter and traffic-free alternative route between the Coal Mining Belt of Talcher and Coal Based Thermal Power Plant in the Kalinga Nagar Industrial areas, at Sukinda. This new line will be in close proximity to the Steel Plants in Angul region, NALCO, and a cluster of Industries located in the Kalinga Nagar areas of Odisha.
Also, the project line will lessen the distance between Rourkela (Steel Plant) and Dhamara/Paradeep Ports. When compared with the route via Kharagpur, the dispatch of finished products of Steel Plants from the Kalinga Nagar complex to destinations in Mumbai and Delhi via Talcher-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda will also be shorter and cheaper via this new route.
In 1998-99, the scheme was sanctioned and incorporated in 2009. After the process of land acquisition and other technical solutions, the project of about 2440 crores was targeted to be completed by December 2022. However, it missed the deadline.