THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
Indian Railways has approved a ₹122-crore project to
double the 6-km Barbil-Bolanikhadan section of South Eastern Railway, a key
mineral freight corridor in Odisha, aimed at augmenting capacity and supporting
rising iron ore movement.
The project, once commissioned, is expected to facilitate
an additional 8.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight traffic on the
section and help reduce delays to freight trains.
The Barbil-Bolanikhadan stretch has been identified under
Indian Railways' Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor and currently operates as
a single-line section. It handles around 9 MTPA of traffic, including about six
loaded rakes a day originating with iron ore.
The traffic primarily comprises high-grade iron ore and
pellets transported from SAIL's Bolani mines and private sidings of Rungta,
Khatau and Narbheram to major steel plants and ports.
The doubling of the strategically important stretch is
being undertaken ahead of the full realisation of SAIL's mine expansion plans
and capacity additions at ports and industrial plants.
The project is expected to help avert potential capacity
constraints in the designated mineral corridor as mining, steel, industrial and
port activities expand in the region.
The additional rail capacity will support growing freight requirements, strengthen connectivity for movement of iron ore to steel plants and ports, and facilitate smoother movement of freight along the mineral-rich corridor.
The investment is also expected to strengthen the broader Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor by enhancing the capacity of an important rail link serving the movement of critical mineral and steel-industry inputs.
