Last Updated on June 17, 2026 12:16 am by BIZNAMA NEWS
BISHESHWAR MISHRA
Indian Railways has approved the Champa-Korba Third Line Project of South East Central Railway (SECR) of 42 kilometres at an estimated cost of 755 crore rupees.
Ministry of Railways said that the project involves the construction of a third railway line between Champa and Korba, excluding the already sanctioned Madwarani-Saragbundia section. The corridor has been identified under Indian Railways’ Mission 3000 MT and High-Density Network (HDN) Corridor initiatives aimed at strengthening freight movement and supporting the country’s growing energy requirements.
The Champa-Korba section serves as a critical rail link connecting the coalfields of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) with the national rail network and the Mumbai-Howrah High Density Corridor. The region’s combined coal production capacity of SECL and MCL is about 247 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) and is projected to rise to nearly 450 MTPA, adding around 200 MTPA of additional coal traffic in the coming years.
The third line project will significantly enhance carrying capacity, improve operational flexibility and ensure faster movement of both freight and passenger trains. Upon completion, the project is expected to facilitate operation of two additional passenger trains in each direction every day and support additional freight movement of 5.95 MTPA.
The third line will also reduce detention of freight trains, which currently face delays of around five minutes in each direction, resulting in operational savings estimated at 1.30 crore rupees annually.