Bhubaneswar: The newly laid 10.5 km broad gauge rail line between Sonepur and Khambeswarpalli of Khurda Road-Balangir rail line project has been completed and commissioned.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) inspected this newly laid rail line on December 29, 2023, and gave his sanction for the commissioning of the section.
CRS has inspected the safety parameters of the newly laid railway track, signalling system, and bridges and declared the 10.50 km line fit of the ongoing 301 km Khurda Road-Balangir rail line project.
A team of senior railway officials from East Coast Railway (ECoR) assisted the CRS during the inspection.
Altogether, 152.805 km out of 301 km of rail line work has been commissioned. The Railways has been constructing the line from both sides, i.e., from Khurda Road and Balangir for early completion of the project.
As per a media release by the ECoR on Sunday, the East Coast Railway is committed to developing railway infrastructure in the region and working dedicatedly to complete the project at the earliest.
The Prime Minister had earlier dedicated two sections of the line from Bolangir up to Jhartarbha.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw consistently monitors the progress of this project in Odisha and the ministry has given priority to the early completion of the Khurda Road Bolangir rail line project.
ECoR General Manager Manoj Sharma reviewed the status of the ongoing works and instructed the concerned officials to speed up the work and complete the remaining portion within the timeline set by the Railway Board.