By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR:Indian Railways has approved the construction of a 11 km bypass line between Adra end and Joychandipahar in South Eastern Railway at a total cost of ₹272 crore.
The project will provide dedicated path segregation and a bi-directional connection to the upcoming third line, facilitating projected movement of 6.065 freight rakes per day and supporting the anticipated increase in industrial traffic. The bypass will particularly support freight movement associated with SAIL’s 23.40 MTPA iron ore demand and BCCL’s projection of 45 rakes per day.
Enhancing Corridor Capacity and Reducing Congestion
The Adra-Joychandipahar-Sanka bypass will help eliminate existing operational bottlenecks and surface-crossing detentions on the Adra-Joychandipahar section. With the existing network operating at 71% utilisation and freight speeds affected by surface-crossing conflicts, the bypass will help improve operational efficiency and prevent further congestion.
The project is expected to facilitate additional traffic of 8.88 MTPA upon completion. The current line capacity of the Joychandipahar-Adra section is 47.50%, which is expected to increase to 56.45% by 2028-29.
Supporting Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor
The bypass is part of the Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor identified for Indian Railways. By providing additional capacity and smoother freight movement, the project will strengthen the transportation of industrial commodities and enable future traffic growth to translate into higher throughput.
The project will strengthen freight infrastructure in the Adra-Joychandipahar corridor by creating additional capacity, reducing surface-crossing conflicts and improving the efficiency of freight operations. It will support growing industrial traffic while enabling more reliable and congestion-free movement of freight on this strategically important corridor.
