Good news: Angul-Sukinda rail line opened for goods traffic

The 92.825 Kms long Broad Gauge Single Electrified Railway Line section between Budhapankh Station in Angul District and Baghuapala Station near Sukinda in Jajpur District under Khurda Road Railway Division of East Coast Railway has received authorisation for operation of Goods Traffic.

General Manager Manoj Sharma has congratulated the team of ASRL & RVNL for this accomplishment.

The Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) Committee nominated by ECoR General Manager comprising of Chief Safety Officer (CSO), Chief Track Engineer (CTE), Chief Electrical Distribution Engineer (CEDE) & Chief Signalling Engineer (CSE) of ECoR along with Chief Project Manager (CPM-II) of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and other officers of Headquarters and Khurda Road Division inspected the newly constructed BG single line between Budhapank and Baghuapal Stations covering a length of 92.825 Km in Khurda Road Division of East Coast Railway on 21st February 2023 and submitted their Inspection Report on 23rd February 2023.

Earlier, Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) had inspected Budhapank and Baghuapal Station Yards and advised for modification of Station yards which has now been complied with all safety angles to run Goods Train.

Based on the compliance to SAG Inspection Report and after perusal of various Documents/Certificates; the General Manager under the powers delegated by Railway Board has sanctioned for opening of the newly built BG Electrified Single Line Section for GOODS TRAFFIC up to a maximum permissible speed of 65kmph, subject to the observance of all the permanent and temporary speed restrictions in force or those, which may be imposed from time to time.

Angul-Sukinda Railway Ltd. (ASRL), a SPV has been incorporated on 20th February 2009 by Ministry of Railways through Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) for construction and maintenance of Broad Gauge (B.G.) Single Railway Line between Budhapank Station (Angul) and Baghuapala Station (Sukinda). This new rail-line provides a direct link between iron-ore rich areas of Odisha (Joda-Barbil) to steel and sponge iron industries in Angul region. It will also provide a shorter and congestion free alternative route between coal mining belt of Talcher to coal based thermal power plant in Kalinganagar Industrial areas. This will also be in close proximity to the Steel Plants in Angul region, NALCO and a cluster of Industries located in Kalinganagar areas of Odisha. Dispatch of finished products of steel plants from Kalinganagar complex to destinations in Mumbai and Delhi via Talcher-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda will also be shorter and cheaper via the new alignment as compared with the route via Kharagpur.

The project is being funded through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model as envisaged in the Concession Agreement signed between the Ministry of Railways and ASRL on 14th May 2010. The funding pattern for this project was through equity-participation from Stake-Holders and debt raised from market.