The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor project from Palwal to Sonipat-Sohna-Manesar-Kharkhauda. This railway line will start from Palwal and end at the existing Harsana Kalan station (on the Delhi-Ambala section). This will provide connectivity for the existing Patli station (on Delhi-Rewari line), Sultanpur station (on Garhi Harsaru-Farukhnagar line), and Asaudha station (on Delhi Rohtak line).
The project will be implemented by the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HRIDC), a joint venture company set up by the Ministry of Railways with the Government of Haryana. The project will have joint participation by the Ministry of Railways, the Government of Haryana, and private stakeholders. The estimated full cost of the project is Rs. 5,617 crores Rs. The project is expected to be completed in 5 years.
Palwal, Noonh, Gurugram, Jhajjar, and Sonipat districts of Haryana will be benefited through this railway line. This will lead to the diversion of traffic out of Delhi and thus the traffic NCR will be reduced and will help in developing a multimodal logistics hub in the sub-region of Haryana state of NCR.
This will provide seamless high-speed connectivity to the freight corridor network dedicated to the region, resulting in reduced transportation costs and time for EXIM traffic from India's NCR to ports, making goods exports more competitive. This efficient transport corridor will provide the infrastructure to attract multinational industries to set up manufacturing units to fulfill the 'Make in India' mission, among other initiatives.
The project will connect the untouched areas of the state of Haryana, which will boost economic and social activities in the state of Haryana. This multipurpose transportation project will also facilitate cheap and fast traffic travel in different directions from the industrial areas of Gurugram and Manesar, Sohna, Farukhnagar, Kharkhauda, and Sonipat.
About 20,000 passengers will travel through this line each day and 50 million tonnes of goods will be transported every year.
The Orbital Rail Corridor from Palwal to Sonipat passing through Delhi is an important infrastructure project for the sustainable development of the National Capital Region and to reduce the existing Indian railway network in the Delhi region. The alignment of the project is adjacent to the Western Peripheral (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) Expressway and has been under consideration for some time.
The project will provide connectivity to all existing railway routes originating from Delhi and the state of Haryana as well as through a dedicated freight corridor network.
