South Haryana Economic Rail: Semi-High Speed Rail Corridor Approved, To Connect Haryana With Four Gujarat Ports

The Union Railway Ministry has approved South Haryana Economic Rail Corridor — spanning 129 km — which aims to establish connectivity between the state with four ports in Gujarat.

This corridor will pass through Rajasthan. The construction is expected to commence after few years, as the ministry is currently in the planning phase for conducting a survey of the semi-high speed rail corridor.

A budget of Rs 3.1 crore has been allocated for this survey, reports Times of India.

The corridor to be built will begin from Farrukhnagar in Gurgaon to Loharu in Bhiwani via Jhajjar and Charkhi Dadri, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,225 crore.

In the future, the Farrukhnagar-Loharu track will be connected to Bahadurgarh and Sonipat in Haryana through the ongoing construction of the Orbital Rail Corridor.

Existing railway lines with Delhi, as well as Rajasthan and Gurgaon, will also be linked to the Farrukhnagar-Loharu track.

“After construction of the corridor, Haryana will have direct connectivity with four ports of Gujarat — Kandla, Mundra, Navlakhi and Jakhau — through this railway line. It will indirectly help connect Delhi with the four ports,” Rohtak MP Arvind Sharma stated, following his meeting with the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The Haryana government granted approval for the project in 2022. Upon completion of the corridor, trains will have the capability to operate at speeds varying between 130-160 kmph.

The execution of the project will be carried out by the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC) — a joint venture between the Indian Railways and the Haryana government.

HRIDC is currently in the process of constructing the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor, which will connect Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar, and Kharkhoda. This new railway line will be able to accommodate both passenger and goods trains.

The aim of the project is to reduce travel time for the region with numerous industrial hubs. Once completed, officials said the route to Gujarat will be shorter from Delhi-NCR.

The proposed project aims to significantly reduce travel time between Delhi and various cities in Rajasthan such as Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Barmer, Hanumangarh, and Sri Ganganagar.

Additionally, it will also improve connectivity between Delhi and Gandhidham, Bhuj, and Dwarka in Gujarat.

Currently, trains from Delhi take the route via Rewari to reach Rajasthan, as per the report.