Kolkata, Sep 1 (IANS) Freight transportation by South Eastern Railway (SER) received a major boost, with the Indian Railways approving the construction of a 11 km bypass line between Adra and Joychandipahar located in Purulia district of West Bengal at a total cost of Rs 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 Bharat Coking Coal Ltd’s (BCCL) projection of 45 coal rakes per day,” the Railways has said.

Iron ore from the Chakradharpur Division moves through Adra to steel plants in and around the steel-producing region of Asansol and Durgapur.

Similarly, coking coal from BCCL mines in that belt use the Adra-Joychandipahar section.

“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 per cent utilisation and freight speeds affected by surface-crossing conflicts, the bypass will help improve operational efficiency and prevent further congestion,” the Railways added.

Upon completion, the project is expected to facilitate additional traffic of 8.88 MTPA.

The current line capacity of the Joychandipahar-Adra section is 47.50 per cent, which is expected to increase to 56.45 per cent by 2028-29.

“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 Ministry of Railways has said.

The project will strengthen freight infrastructure in the Adra-Joychandipahar corridor by creating additional capacity through seamless movement, thereby improving the efficiency of freight operations.

–IANS

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