ECoR sets up route interlocking project at Pradip port

Kolkata: The East Coast Railway (ECoR), was working on a Rs 18-crore yard remodelling and route relay interlocking project due to be commissioned by March next year. “It is PPT’s project, we’re funding it, ECoR is only implementing it,” Mr K. Raghuramaiah, Chairman, Paradip Port Trust said.

The completion of the project, Mr Raghuramaiah said, would help PPT to run the railway operation more efficiently.

The commissioning of the 82-km long Haridaspur-Paradip railway line, now being constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, would put pressure on the PPT’s present rail network which was being upgraded to meet the projected requirement. He, however, felt that there was no immediate need for adding to the existing line capacity.

The PPT Chairman also pointed out that the inter-city passenger trains between Bhubaneswar and Paradip would be launched shortly, thus, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the people in the region.

ECoR would also construct a new platform at Paradip at a cost of Rs 12 crore for the benefit of the passengers. With this, the ECoR’s passenger service to and from Paradip would receive a big boost, he said.

PPT, as the Chairman pointed out, was looking forward to India Oil Corporation’s single point mooring project. “Once the SPM is commissioned, we’ll start handling crude and the port’s traffic throughput will simply jump in one go,” he observed.