The Hindu Business Line : Rail Vikas Nigam takes up projects in Bengal, Orissa

Four of them are in West Bengal and six in Orissa. These include new railway projects, doubling of lines, construction of a third as well as fourth line and electrification of railway tracks.

The new projects will be: Banspani-Daitari (Orissa, length 155 km at a cost of Rs 820 crore, targeted year of completion 2006-07) and Haridaspur-Paradip (Orissa, 82 km, at a cost of Rs 460 crore, to be completed by 2008-09).

Three doubling projects will be implemented in Orissa and one in West Bengal.

The Orissa projects include Cuttack-Barang (12 km, Rs 127 crore, 2007-08), Rajatgarh-Barang (20 km, Rs 166 crore, 2007-08) and Barang-Khurda (35 km, Rs 133 crore, 2007-08). The one in West Bengal is the Panskura-Haldia project (59 km, 247 crore, 2008-09).

There are two projects on construction of a third line, one between Gurup and Saktigarh (West Bengal, 26 km, Rs 53 crore, 2005-06) and the other between Panskura and Kharagpur (West Bengal, 45 km, Rs 201 crore, 2007-08), while another project will be between Tikiapara and Santragachi (West Bengal, 5.6 km, Rs 23 crore, 2006-07).

The railway electrification will be between Kharagpur (West Bengal) and Bhubaneswar (Orissa), covering the stretches between Orissa's Nimapara and Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and Paradip. The total length is 540 km and the cost is Rs 317.36 crore.

The targeted year of completion is 2006-07.

The initiatives under the National Rail Vikas Yojana include strengthening of the tracks along the golden quadrilateral (Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata) and diagonals (Kolkata-Mumbai, Delhi-Chennai), strengthening of rail-based port connectivity and development of multi-modal transport to the hinterland and construction of four mega bridges.

These projects are targeted to be implemented within five years.

The investment for the golden quadrilateral projects including diagonals is estimated at Rs 8,000 crore, proposed to be funded by way of budgetary support (Rs 1,500 crore), assistance from the Asia Development Bank (Rs 1,500 crore) and market borrowing (Rs 5,000 crore).

The money for port connectivity (Rs 5,200 crore) is proposed to be funded through private-public partnership. The mega bridges would cost Rs 4,000 crore.

The projects being taken up by RVNL include doubling lines (1,600 km), gauge conversion (2,800 km), construction of new lines (560 km), electrification of railway tracks (2,000 km) and upgradation of routes (10,000 km).

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
`Domestic carriers should expand equity base'

`Sethusamudram will not be beneficial: Jayalalithaa

Delay in framing clauses hits Kerala port projects

Cargo trade's concern

Govt readies contingency plan to deal with airport staff strike

AFL setting up joint venture in China

S-E Rly freight loading touches record high, earnings up 35.5%

Rail Vikas Nigam takes up projects in Bengal, Orissa

Govt plans sops to help road operators

Bengal truck owners want Govt to fix minimum freight rate

NHAI contract for Malaysian firm