Set to connect four major radial routes of the Indian Railways from Delhi passing through Haryana, the proposed 121-km-long Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor running along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway will be the much-needed rail bypass of Delhi, reducing traffic congestion in the Capital, besides making travel possible by train in different directions from the Millennium City.
The four major radial routes of the Indian Railways originating from Delhi to be intersected by the proposed corridor are: Delhi-Palwal-Mathura, Delhi-Rewari-Jaipur-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Rohtak-Bhatinda and Delhi-Ambala-Chandigarh. “The project will not just provide rail bypass of Delhi, but also connect Gurugram to these radial routes. As of now, Gurugram is located on a unidirectional route from Delhi to Jaipur via Rewari. The orbital corridor will make it possible to travel in different directions viz. Mathura, Bhatinda and Chandigarh from the Millennium City. It will significantly improve the rail connectivity in this region,” said Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC), Managing Director, Dinesh Chand Deshwal.
‘Metro-like’ trains
Mr. Deshwal said the railways was also mulling “metro-like” trains on the corridor between Palwal and Sonipat for commuters travelling daily on the route for jobs and business.
The proposed orbital corridor would also be the linchpin of economic growth in NCR connecting the Indian Railways’ Dedicated Freight Corridor at Prithala station and logistics hubs and promoting development of new multi-modal hubs along the periphery of the Capital.
Connecting Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar and Kharkhouda, the rail corridor is a broad gauge electrified double railway line for passenger and freight traffic.
Mr. Deshwal said a lot of industrial and township development was expected in the region, especially along the KMP Expressway, and the rail corridor would be the stimulus for real estate and industrial development. “The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) plans to develop five super smart cities under its project, “Panchgram”, along the KMP Expressway. The freight from across the country now first comes to Delhi. It leads to problems of pollution and congestion. Many mandis and big logistics hub will shift to the periphery of Delhi with the development of this railway line. Cargo multi-modal parks are likely to develop along this railway line,” said Mr. Deshwal.
It is also expected that the commissioning of the project will shift the non-traditional rail traffic, such as fruits, vegetables and refrigerated cargo, from roads to railways.
‘Act as catalyst’
Manesar Industries Welfare Association vice-president Manmohan Gaind said the orbital rail corridor project was a “great” idea and an efficient way to design mass transport through different means used extensively in Europe. “This will increase flow of goods in NCR and act as a catalyst to develop this region as industrial hub in the country,” said Mr. Gaind. The 107-km-long Regional Rapid Transit System corridor from Delhi to Haryana-Rajasthan border passing through the Millennium City and the 1290-km-long access-controlled Delhi-Mumbai Expressway originating here are two other major infrastructure projects coming up in the region.
Land acquisition
The Ministry of Railways provided in-principle approval to the project in March last year following which the Haryana Cabinet gave its nod four months later and the project proposal was submitted to the Railway Board on July 25, 2019, for clearance from the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs.
The land acquisition officers have also commenced the process of land acquisition. For two sub-divisions of Pataudi and Gurugram, land plans have already been submitted with the revenue authorities concerned for further actions and for remaining sections, the same is under process. The HRIDC this past month invited Expression of Interest applications from global engineering and consultancy firms to appoint a General Consultant for the project.
A Special Purpose Vehicle, Haryana Orbital Rail Corporation Limited (HORCL), has also been created for implementation of the project. It comprises HRIDC, HSIIDC, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and the Maruti Suzuki India Limited, among others.
Project completion time
HORCL Chairperson Rajeev Arora told The Hindu that they had all approvals from the Haryana government and many of the Union Ministries and the project would be completed in five years after commencement of the work. “It will be commissioned in phases. For instance, when the connection between two radials of railways is completed, it will be commissioned for meaningful traffic. Unlike the regular railway lines, the corridor has lot of interfaces with the railway system and the urban infrastructure. At places, there will be flyovers over the roads for the corridor. Five years is a realistic time frame. It will prove to be a stimulus to economic growth and a robust public transport system,” said Mr. Arora.