Lok Sabha Question No. 4329 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-26
Subject: Talcher-Bimalgarh Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Rudra Narayan Pany

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4329 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.03.2025

## TALCHER-BIMALGARH RAILWAY LINE

## †4329. SHRI RUDRA NARAYAN PANY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether under construction Talcher-Bimalgarh railway line project is progressing at a very slow pace;
- (b)   if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c)   the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  overcome  the  said delay; and
- (d)   the time by when the said project is likely to be completed?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (d):  The  work  of  Talcher-Bimlagarh  (150  km)  New  Line  is  a sanctioned  work.  The  latest  sanctioned  cost  of  the  project  is  ₹1928 Crore. The work has been taken up by the Railway in available land. So far, 34 Km section (Talcher-Parabil) has been commissioned.

The  requisite  land  in  Parabil-Palalaharha  (43  Km)  and  Bimlagarh  Mahuldiha  (32  Km)  sections  has  been  handed  over  by  the  State Government. The work has been taken up in these sections. Further, the  land  acquisition  in  balance  section  i.e.  Palalaharha  -  Mahuldiha (41 Km) has been taken up by the State Government.

As on 01.04.2024, 40 Projects (13 New Lines, 1 Gauge Conversion and 26  Doubling)  of  total  length  4,017  Km,  costing  ₹54,434  crore,  falling fully/partly in Odisha are in planning/approval/construction stage, out of which, 1,100 Km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹22,833 crore has been incurred upto March, 2024. The summary is as under:-

| Category               |   No of Projects | Total Length (in Km)   | Length Commissioned till Mar'24 (in Km)   | Total Exp upto Mar'24 (₹ in Crore)   |
|------------------------|------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| New Lines              |               13 | 1422                   | 183                                       | 5090                                 |
| Gauge Conversion       |               01 | 159                    | 90                                        | 184                                  |
| Doubling/Multitracking |               26 | 2436                   | 827                                       | 17559                                |
| Total                  |               40 | 4,017                  | 1,100                                     | 22,833                               |

The details of outlay for infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the State of Odisha is as under:-

| Period   | Outlay                           |
|----------|----------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹838 Cr./Year                    |
| 2025-26  | ₹10,599 Cr. (More than 12 times) |

The details of commissioning / laying of  new track falling fully/partly in the State of Odisha during 2009-14 and 2014-24 is as under :-

| Period   | New Track Commissioned   | Average Commissioning of new tracks   |
|----------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | 267 Km                   | 53.4 Km                               |
| 2014-24  | 1827 Km                  | 182.7 Km (More than 3 times)          |

The completion of any Railway project depends on various factors like quick  land  acquisition  by  State  Government,  forest  clearance  by officials  of  forest  department,  deposition  of  cost  share  by  State Government  in  cost  sharing  projects,  priority  of  projects,  shifting  of infringing  utilities,  statutory  clearances  from  various  authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the area of project(s) site, number of working months  in  a year for particular project site due to climatic conditions etc.

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