Talcher-Bimlagarh railway line cost soars to Rs 3,390 crore

ROURKELA: From Rs 727 crore, the cost of the ongoing Talcher-Bimlagarh new railway line project has officially escalated to a staggering Rs 3,390 crore primarily due to administrative failure in timely acquisition of land.

In a social media post on August 4, Rajya Sabha Member and former Union minister Dilip Ray said he raised the issue of the long-pending railway project in the Upper House of Parliament and sought a detailed statement on its progress, funding, land acquisition, and implementation status.

Ray said the government informed the Parliament that the 150-km Talcher-Bimalagarh railway line, sanctioned in 2003-04 at an estimated cost of Rs 727 crore, now has an updated project cost of Rs 3,390 crore. An expenditure of Rs 1,901 crore has already been incurred up to March 2026, while Rs 950 crore has been allocated for the new line during 2026-27.

He said the project has been moving steadily towards completion. Around 756 hectare out of the required 863 hectare of land has already been acquired. The 48-km Talcher-Khamar section has been commissioned, while construction is progressing on the remaining stretches with significant progress in land acquisition and construction of bridges. Forest and wildlife clearances have also been received for the Mahuldiha-Bimalagarh section.

The former Union minister said the Talcher-Bimalagarh railway line will be a transformative project for Angul, Deogarh and Sundargarh districts, enhancing connectivity, facilitating industrial and economic growth, and creating new opportunities for the people of western Odisha.

However, there was no mention of the project completion target which has been extended further. Under implementation for almost two decades, the progress of the project has been barely 32 per cent till now with the East Coast Railway (ECOR) quietly extending the completion target by another two years to March 2029.

Sources said the ECoR is yet to get physical possession of balance 20 per cent of private land in Sundargarh district, while it is 90 per cent in Deogarh. Tender for the remaining length of about 30 km from Mohuldiha (Sundargarh) to Barkote (Deogarh) is yet to be floated reportedly due to land hurdles in Deogarh.

The project, which was initially envisioned to boost coal transportation from the Talcher coalfields and support industrial corridors in western Odisha, has faced repeated delays since its inception. Officials from the East Coast Railway cited complex land acquisition procedures, litigation over compensation, and fragmented ownership of private parcels as key challenges, particularly in Sundargarh district where tribal land rights and forest clearances have added layers of complexity.\n Local representatives from Angul and Deogarh have expressed cautious optimism about the project’s long-term benefits but voiced frustration over the lack of transparency in revised timelines. A senior engineer involved in the project, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that while bridge construction and earthworks are advancing steadily, the final 30-km stretch remains stalled due to unresolved disputes over land titles and access routes.

The Railway Ministry has previously allocated funds under the Union Budget for railway infrastructure in Odisha, with the Talcher-Bimlagarh line featuring prominently in the North Central and East Coast Railway’s five-year plans. Despite the cost escalation, officials maintain that the project remains economically viable due to its potential to reduce logistics costs for industries such as steel, power, and cement in the region.

As of now, no official revised completion date has been gazetted by the Railway Board, though internal documents suggest March 2029 is being used as a working target for monitoring progress. Stakeholders continue to await a formal statement from the Ministry of Railways detailing the updated implementation schedule and financial closure plan.