In a significant boost to freight capacity and operational efficiency, Indian Railways has approved the construction of a 4.59 km rail flyover from Bondamunda 'A' Cabin to Bondamunda Link 'B' Cabin in South Eastern Railway at a cost of ₹135 crore.

The project is aimed at decongesting the important Rourkela-Bondamunda section, an industrial corridor witnessing rapidly increasing freight traffic due to expanding mining and steel production activities.

Capacity Augmentation on a Critical Industrial Corridor

The Rourkela-Bondamunda section is expected to experience substantial growth in freight movement owing to the expansion of SAIL's Barsua-Taldih-Kalta mining complex, enhanced production at Rourkela Steel Plant, and the planned doubling of this High-Density Network (HDN) route.

To accommodate the anticipated increase in rail traffic, Indian Railways has sanctioned construction of the new rail flyover, which will facilitate seamless train movement while minimising crossing conflicts between passenger and freight services.

Decongesting Bondamunda Yard and Improving Freight Efficiency

The proposed flyover will segregate heavy freight traffic from passenger train operations, significantly reducing congestion at Bondamunda Yard. This segregation will improve line capacity, operational efficiency, train reliability and overall network performance on one of the country's important industrial freight corridors.

Upon commissioning, the project is expected to facilitate handling of an additional 8 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) of freight traffic, strengthening evacuation of minerals and industrial products while supporting future growth in freight transportation.

The project has been identified under Indian Railways' Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor, reinforcing the national objective of strengthening rail infrastructure to support industrial development, faster freight movement and enhanced logistics efficiency across the country.

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Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Ritu Raj