Construction Mirror Article detail

The Union Government has given the green light to a series of railway infrastructure projects aimed at improving cargo transportation and strengthening connectivity to three key ports in eastern India — Paradip, Dhamra, and Kolkata’s Haldia Port.

Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that while all three ports are already linked to the Indian Railways network, several new initiatives have been sanctioned or are currently under detailed examination to enhance rail access and efficiency.

For Paradip Port in Odisha, multiple projects are either approved or in the pipeline. These include:

• Construction of third and fourth railway lines between Paradip and Badabandha (19 km),

• A rail flyover between Paradip and Siju,

• Installation of automatic signaling on the Cuttack-Paradip route,

• Sanctioned surveys for additional third and fourth lines from Cuttack to Badabandha (72 km),

• Completion of a detailed project report (DPR) following the survey for doubling of the Haridaspur-Paradip section (74 km).

In the case of Dhamra Port, also in Odisha, the Railways has initiated a survey for a new 96-kilometre line connecting Jajpur Keonjhar Road to the port, passing through Jajpur and Aradi. This line is expected to improve freight handling capacity and regional accessibility.

For Haldia Port in West Bengal, the Railway Ministry has cleared a survey for adding third and fourth lines between Tamluk and Panskura — a key step toward reducing congestion and improving freight movement in the area.

The minister emphasized that the approval and execution of such projects depend on multiple factors, including commercial feasibility, projected traffic growth, operational efficiency, state government requests, and broader socio-economic impact, all of which are subject to the availability of funds and prioritization within existing commitments.