Orbital Rail to have 17 stations, run along Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway

GURUGRAM: The Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Project — a new double rail line from Sonipat to Palwal— will have 17 stations connecting Harsana Kalan in Sonipat and Palwal . The 130-km-long corridor will pass through Badli, Manesar and Sohna and run along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway, the detailed project report (DPR) states.

As per the DPR, which was approved in June 2019, the project will be developed at a cost of Rs 4,770 crore — of which around Rs 3,868 crore will be used as capital expenditure and the remaining amount will be used as operational expenses. Around 70% of the cost will be sourced through debt whereas the rest will be funded through equity.

“The project DPR was recently approved by the board of directors of Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC) and it has now been sent to the Northern Railways, Haryana government and other stakeholders for their approval,” said a senior government official.

The stakeholders in this project are HRIDC (45%), GMDA (10%), HSIIDC (15%) and other private companies (30%). HRIDC is a joint venture between the state government and Indian Railways with former having a 51% stake and the latter a 49% stake in the company.

According to officials, once the DPR gets clearance from the stakeholders, it will be sent to the Ministry of Railways for the final approval. The project is likely to be completed by 2023-24. Officials further said that the project will give a major boost to the industries in Haryana. It is likely to give a boost to the industrial estates in Sohna and Manesar and the five cities proposed along the KMP .