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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Cabinet nod for Indian Railways' line doubling projects: Freight traffic set to receive additional boost of 49 million tonnes annually
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved two line doubling projects of the Indian Railways, namely, the 133-km Koderma-Barkakana Doubling and the 185-km Ballari-Chikjajur Doubling, which cover a total of seven districts in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The total estimated cost of the projects is Rs 6,405 crore. The Koderma-Barkakana line passes through a major coal producing area of Jharkhand. Along with this, it serves as the shortest rail link between Patna and Ranchi. The cost of doubling of the line is Rs 2,063 crore. According to the Ministry of Railways, line doubling will facilitate an additional cargo of 30.4 million tonnes (mt). It will connect four districts of Jharkhand, namely, Koderma, Chatra, Hazaribagh and Ramgarh. The project will be challenging from an engineering point of view since it will involve the construction of 17 major bridges, 180 minor bridges, 42 road over bridges (ROBs) and 13 road under bridges (RUBs). The project will provide connectivity to over 900 villages, the Indian Railways said. The second project Ballari-Chikjajur line crosses Ballari and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The total cost of the project is Rs 3,342 crore. According to the Indian Railways, the doubling of the rail line will facilitate the movement of additional cargo of 18.9 mt. It will cater to transport of iron ore, coking coal, finished steel, fertilisers, foodgrains, and petroleum products, among other items. The 185-km project will involve the construction of 19 stations, 29 major bridges, 230 minor bridges, 21 ROBs and 85 RUBs. The line will connect over 400 villages on the stretch. These two projects together will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 318 km and additional freight traffic of 49 mt per annum. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Critical lapses occurred': Road Ministry expands oversight on NH works executed by States
Citing 'critical lapses' that occurred due to lack of due diligence, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued new directives to enhance oversight on National Highway (NH) works carried out by state public works departments and road construction departments (PWDs/RCDs). The new directive has significantly increased the role for the ministry's regional officers (ROs) in the project lifecycle, from bid preparation to managing legal disputes. Along with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), state PWDs/RCDs are other key agencies who implement road projects for MoRTH. 'It has come to the notice of the Ministry that in several projects pertaining to NH works implemented by State PWDs/RCDs, critical lapses have occured due to lack of due diligence…Such lack of due diligence has led to unnecessary contractual disputes, legal complexities and financial liabilities for the central government,' states the circular dated May 16, 2025. 'It has also been observed that ROs are sometimes neither consulted nor involved during the bidding process or while defending contractual disputes before Arbitration Tribunals or Courts, wherein such disputes are dealt with mechanically often without adequately safeguarding the interest of the central government or aligning with the Ministry's position,' reads the letter further. Taking note of the situation, the ministry said that for all NH project works (including those costing less than Rs. 100 crore but excluding maintenance works), the bid documents prepared by state PWDs/RCDs must undergo thorough scrutiny by the concerned RO prior to the finalisation of bids. ROs will examine the bid documents for any anomalies, inconsistencies or deficiencies, particularly with respect to quantities, schedules, specifications, and contract conditions. 'It is imperative that ROs remain actively involved in all legal contractual disputes adjudication processes including arbitration matters related to NH works. State PWDs/RCDs shall not pursue such matters independently without consultation with ROs,' said the Ministry. A senior official of MoRTH said that a detailed guideline will soon be issued by the Ministry in this regard. The Ministry also permitted ROs may engage legal expert from NHAI-empanelled law firms for advice and support. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Railways runs 5 special trains from Jammu, Udhampur, Pathankot; Officials say blackouts won't affect op
In the wake of the ongoing military conflict between India and Pakistan, the Indian Railways Friday ran five special trains, including a Vande Bharat train, to facilitate passengers in the border cities of Jammu, Udhampur and Pathankot. Sources said that around 300 people associated with Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, including cricketers and supporting staff, took a special Vande Bharat train to reach Delhi. On Thursday night, the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in Dharamsala was called off after flood lights at the HPCA Stadium went off due to security reasons. 'Players and support staff of the IPL teams took the Vande Bharat train from Jalandhar. After closure of airports in the border areas amid escalating India-Pakistan tension, the Railways ran special trains to facilitate cricketers and common passengers,' said the source. Officials said that over 8,000 people travelled in these special trains to Delhi from these cities, which are facing multiple blackouts and threat of attacks from Pakistan. 'A special train with 12 unreserved and 12 reserved coaches was operated from Udhampur to Delhi via Jammu at 10.45 am Friday. A 20-coach Vande Bharat rake was operated at 12.45 pm from Udhampur to New Delhi via Jammu and Pathankot,' said a senior official of the Ministry of Railways. A 22-coach reserved special train was operated from Jammu around 7 pm on Friday, the official said, adding that the Railways will run special trains on Saturday as per requirement. 'We have received several requests to run special trains from Jammu to facilitate the travel of people stranded there. Several people, who went to see the IPL match in Dharamshala, were facing difficulties in going to their destinations after the match was abandoned due to security reasons. Many of these passengers boarded the train from Pathankot,' said the official. Meanwhile, there has also been an increase in the cancellation of tickets booked for Jammu. The trains going towards Jammu are currently somewhat empty. However, the number of people coming from Jammu has increased significantly, officials said. Officials, however, said that there has not been any cancellation of trains so far. 'The Railways operation has not been affected by the blackouts because we have our own grid system to run the trains. However, if any emergency arises, we have diesel locomotives. Along with this, all the railway stations at the border areas are being monitored in the war room at Railway Board level,' said the official. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
