RITES Ltd., the leading Transport Infrastructure Consultancy and Engineering company, in consortium with SMEC International Pty Limited, signed a contract with Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC), a Joint Venture of Government of Haryana and Ministry of Railways, for providing General Consultancy Services for Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) from Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar, and Kharkhoda.
- The contract value is about Rs.72 crore (fee Rs.61 crore plus GST).
- The contract was signed by Mr. Piyush Kansal, Executive Director, Urban Infrastructure, RITES Ltd (on behalf of RITES-SMEC), and Mr. Narinder D Chumber, Director (Project & Planning), HRIDC, in the presence of Mr. Dinesh Chand Deshwal, IRSE, MD, HRIDC, Mr. Rajeev Mehrotra, Chairman & Managing Director, RITES Ltd, Mr. V. G. Suresh Kumar, Director Projects, RITES Ltd, and Mr. Andrew McKune, Executive Director, SMEC.
- The Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) connecting Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar and Kharkhoda is an electrified Broad Gauge double railway line for passenger and freight traffic.
- About 122 route km corridor will provide seamless connectivity to Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) at Prithla station and to Indian Railways at Palwal, Patli, Sultanpur, Asaudha and Harsana Kalan stations.
- The project is being funded by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and shall be completed in 5 years.
- The project would help decongest Delhi by diverting goods and passenger trains not originated/destined for Delhi.
- It would also be beneficial to industrial and logistic hubs of Kharkhoda, Manesar and Sohna and would help develop additional hubs in the region.
About Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor:
In September last year, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Project from Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna-Manesar-Kharkhauda.
This Rail Line starts from Palwal and ends at the existing Harsana Kalan station (On Delhi-Ambala section). This will also give connectivity enroute to existing Patli Station (On Delhi-Rewari line), Sultanpur station (On Garhi Harsaru-Farukhnagar Line) and Asaudha Station (On Delhi Rohtak Line).
Implementation:
- The project will be implemented by Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HRIDC), a Joint Venture company set up by the Ministry of Railways with the Government of Haryana.
- The project will have joint participation of the Ministry of Railways, Government of Haryana and private stakeholders.
- Estimated completion cost of the project is Rs. 5,617 crore.
- The project is likely to be completed in 5 years.
Benefits:
- The districts of Palwal, Nuh, Gurugram, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts of Haryana will be benefited through this rail line.
- This will facilitate diversion of traffic not meant for Delhi thus decongesting NCR and will help in developing multimodal logistics hubs in Haryana State sub-region of NCR.
- It will provide high-speed seamless connectivity of this region to Dedicated Freight Corridor network resulting in reduction of cost and time of transportation for EXIM traffic from NCR to ports of India, making exports of goods more competitive.
- This efficient transport corridor along with other initiatives will provide infrastructure to attract multinational industries to set up manufacturing units to fulfil the ‘Make in India’ mission.
- The project will connect unserved areas of the state of Haryana, thereby boosting economic and social activities in Haryana State.
- This multipurpose transport project will also facilitate affordable and faster commuter travel, long distance travel in different directions from Gurugram and the industrial regions of Manesar, Sohna, Farukhnagar, Kharkhauda and Sonipat.
- Approximately 20,000 passengers each day will be travelling through this line and 50 Million Tonnes goods traffic would also be carried out every year.
Source: RITES-Press Release | Image Credit: HRIDC
