₹499 crore approved for doubling of Mansi-Saharsa railway line in Bihar, passenger and freight capacity will increase

New Delhi, 30 June. Taking a major step towards strengthening the rail infrastructure in Bihar, Indian Railways has approved a Rs 499 crore project for doubling of the 44.40 km long Mansi-Saharsa rail section of East Central Railway. The project will increase line capacity, improve operational efficiency and help meet the increasing demand for passengers and freight traffic.

Electronic interlocking project worth ₹432 crore approved in Asansol division

In another important decision, Indian Railways has approved Electronic Interlocking (EI) project worth Rs 432 crore on High Density Network (HDN) and Highly Utilized Network (HUN) routes of Asansol Division of Eastern Railway. Under this project, a total of 28 relay-based interlocking systems including 27 stations and cabins and one Intermediate Block Signal (IBS) location will be replaced with state-of-the-art electronic interlocking systems.

Capacity will increase on busy railway route of Mansi-Saharsa section

The Mansi-Saharsa section is currently a single rail line part of the Mansi-Saragarh route, which is heavily loaded with passenger and freight trains. 24 pairs of passenger trains operate daily in both directions on this route. Apart from this, essential commodities like wheat, maize, ballast, parboiled rice, cement, fertiliser, rice, salt, sand, stone and sugar are also transported through this route.

Increasing traffic will get relief

According to Railways, line capacity utilization on this section has already reached 108.11% and is estimated to reach 119.34% by the year 2028-29. In such a situation, the doubling project will play an important role in reducing the increasing pressure on this busy rail corridor.

Operation of passenger and goods trains will be smooth

With the availability of additional railway lines after doubling, the movement of passenger and goods trains will be more smooth. This will reduce operational hassles, improve punctuality of trains and the future increase in rail traffic will also be easily handled.

There will be a big increase in freight capacity.

After completion of the project, approximately 1.764 million tonnes per annum additional freight capacity is expected to be available on this route. This will strengthen the logistics system of agriculture, construction and other key sectors and will also benefit the regional economy.

Modernization of railway infrastructure will gain momentum

Indian Railways said the project is part of a comprehensive modernization drive to expand capacity on high-demand rail routes, enhance service reliability and make passenger and freight transportation faster, safer and efficient.

Modern signaling system will be installed at 27 stations in Asansol division

Under the project, the old relay-based interlocking system at 27 stations and cabins and one IBS location will be replaced with modern computer-based electronic interlocking. This will significantly improve the safety, reliability and operational efficiency of train operations.

Modern rail operations will get a boost

This project is part of a broader program of Indian Railways to install electronic interlocking on high density and heavily loaded railway routes. Modern signaling systems like Kavach, Automatic Block Signaling (ABS) and Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) are already being implemented on these routes.

Both security and capacity will be better

Electronic interlocking systems are more reliable than older relay-based systems. This will enable faster fault detection, simplify maintenance and increase operational efficiency. The project will strengthen railway safety as well as increase line capacity and efficiency of train operations on one of the busiest railway routes in the country.

Railway modernization will get new momentum

Indian Railways believes that this project is an important step towards strengthening the modern signaling infrastructure. This will ensure safer, smarter and more efficient rail operations and prepare the network for future technological requirements.