SECL will develop rail corridor from Dharamjaigarh to Korba

New Delhi: Significant success has been achieved in the implementation of rail corridor projects being developed by SECL in Chhattisgarh under Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Project.

The term loan document was signed between Public Sector Bank, Central Bank of India and the promoters of the corridor for the second phase of Chhattisgarh East Railway Limited, being developed from Dharamjaigarh to Korba in Raigarh, at a function organized in New Delhi today on 28.08.2023. With this, the project will be able to get the approval of financial loan of about Rs 1349 crore.

Chhattisgarh Eastern Railway Limited (CERL), a joint venture between South Eastern Coalfields Limited, IRCON and the State of Chhattisgarh, in which SECL holds the maximum stake of 64 per cent. It is included in the Special Railway Project identified by the Government of India.

This project is being implemented in two phases, Phase-I has been mostly started and it is facilitating dispatch of coal from Mand-Raigarh Coalfields of Raigarh Zone.

In the second phase of CERL, Dharamjaigarh to Korba will be connected by a 62.5-kilometer-long railway line. With this, the Kharsia-Dharamjaigarh line developed under CEAL Phase-I and the Gevra-Pendra road line being developed under CEWRL will be connected.

This rail line will provide alternative rail route facility for dispatch of coal to the northern parts of the country. It will act as a link between Kharsia to Pendra to facilitate dispatch of surplus coal produced from Raigad Coalfields and Basundhara Coalfields of Orissa to power plants located in northern and western part of the country.

The estimated cost of CERL Phase II project is about Rs 1686 crore, with 80 per cent and 20 per cent funding to be done as debt and equity respectively. The project is expected to be completed by March 2026. The term loan document signed in New Delhi today on 28.06.2026 will speed up the construction work related to the Rail Corridor Project like construction of pool, laying of tracks etc. With the arrival of Rail Corridor Project in Chhattisgarh, it is expected to get benefits from social, economic and environmental point of view.

On this important occasion, Director Technical (Operations) SECL and Chairman CERL Shri S.K. Pal, Director (Finance) Shri G. Shri Srinivasan, Director (Finance), IRCON, Smt. Ragini Advani, CTPM, SECR, Shri Y.K. Choudhary, ED Cole, Ministry of Railways, CEO, CERL Shri Ravi Valluri and other top officials were present.

SECL is one of the largest subsidiary companies of Coal India Limited. The company produced 167 million tonnes of coal last year. CERL Phase-II. The project is identified as an important national project under the Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Mission.