Indian Railways (IR) has approved the construction of a 14.52-km third line between Nimpura West Outer Cabin and Midnapur in South Eastern Railway’s Kharagpur Division at a cost of ₹440 crore. Upon completion, the project is expected to facilitate additional freight traffic of 3.52 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA).
This section forms part of the High Utilisation Network (HUN-2) route, where the Nimpura West Outer Cabin- Gokulpur section is presently a single line with doubling works already in progress. The additional third line will substantially augment line capacity and improve operational flexibility on this important corridor.
Freight heavy route
The route carries manganese, iron ore, containers, coal, clinker, pellet iron, iron and steel, wheat, stone, sleepers, slag, salt, rice, petroleum products, limestone, gypsum, fertilisers, edible oil, chemical salt, charcoal, cement, ballast and ash, with an overall freight loading of nearly 23.80 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA). Besides, it also carries substantial volume of passenger traffic.
The existing section is operating at a line capacity utilisation of 115.71 per cent, indicating severe congestion. The third line will create additional capacity to accommodate growing passenger and freight traffic while improving operational efficiency across the corridor.
