THIRD AND FOURTH RAILWAY LINES BETWEEN DDU AND JHAJHA

THIRD AND FOURTH RAILWAY LINES BETWEEN DDU AND JHAJHA

5-DEC-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA---------------------------To facilitate smooth rail travel and the efficient movement of freight trains, East Central Railway is undertaking work to enhance its rail infrastructure. As part of this effort, a third and fourth railway line will be constructed between Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction and Jhajha. This will accelerate industrialization and help realize the vision of a developed Bihar.

In this regard, the construction of approximately 400 kilometers of third and fourth railway lines between Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction and Jhajha will be undertaken at a cost of Rs. 17,000 crore. The construction process for the third and fourth lines will begin in a phased manner in the next few months. The entire project has been divided into several sections, and approval is being granted in phases by the Railway Board. To ensure smooth and rapid completion of the construction work, it has been divided into smaller sections such as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Danapur, Danapur-Fatuha, Fatuha-Bakhtiyarpur, Bakhtiyarpur-Punarakh, Punarakh-Kiul, and Kiul-Jhajha.

Under this project, in the first phase, approval has been granted by the Railway Board for the Bakhtiyarpur to Fatuha section (24 km) at a cost of approximately Rs. 931 crore, including the acquisition of 6.6 hectares of land, and the Bakhtiyarpur to Punarakh section (30 km) at a cost of approximately Rs. 392 crore, including the acquisition of 1 hectare of land. The tender process for the Bakhtiyarpur-Punarakh section will be completed soon, after which land acquisition and construction work will begin. The approval process for the Punarakh to Kiul section, with an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 2514 crore, and the Kiul-Jhajha section, with an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 903 crore, is in its final stages. Approval for the remaining sections is under process at various levels. Due to the scarcity of land around Patna, the construction of the third and fourth lines will involve removing two stabling lines between Danapur and Patna and constructing the new lines in their place. Similarly, due to space constraints between Patna and Patna City, it will only be possible to construct one additional line for both the up and down directions, which will be used in a reversible manner.

The Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Jhajha railway line was constructed in the 1860s-70s. Subsequently, it was doubled. Since then, over several decades, due to population growth and industrialization, the number of passenger trains as well as freight trains has continuously increased. As a result, the operation of many more trains than the track capacity allowed led to difficulties in track maintenance and punctuality. To overcome these difficulties, increasing the track capacity was essential. In light of this, the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and the third and fourth lines are being constructed for the operation of freight trains. The construction of these lines will facilitate the smooth operation of both freight and passenger trains and will also pave the way for the operation of a significant number of additional trains. This will strengthen rail connectivity, which will contribute to industrial growth.