Railways unveils four-line upgrade for 193.6-km Delhi-Ambala corridor

In response to the rising load on the Delhi-Ambala rail corridor, the Ministry of Railways has initiated plans to upgrade the existing two-track system into a four-line corridor. Railway officials convened meetings with district administration officers at Panipat and Sonepat under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners to discuss the details of the project.

Rs 7,074-cr project

Advertisement

Expansion plan: Upgrading the Delhi-Ambala rail corridor from two to four lines

Investment & Timeline: Estimated project cost of Rs 7,074 crore, set for completion in four years

Station upgrades: Improvement work scheduled at 32 railway stations along the corridor

Advertisement

Infrastructure enhancements: Replacement of waterlogged Railway Under Bridges with Railway Over Bridges

Land acquisition: 11 hectares to be acquired from 15 villages, with assured compensation for landowners

Dr Manoj Kumar, DC Sonepat, highlighted the pressing need for expansion, noting that "presently two lines (up and down) are on Delhi to Ambala railway track but the load of trains is regularly rising on this rail corridor." He said, "Now, Railway Ministry has decided to expand the 193.6 km corridor from Delhi to Ambala for which a plan is being prepared." The project will involve development work at 32 railway stations along the route, with a total estimated cost of Rs 7,074 crore and a target completion within the next four years.

DC Manoj Kumar also stressed the need to replace existing Railway Under Bridges (RUBs) with Railway Over Bridges (ROB), citing that "the RUBs are filled with water during the rainy season due to which people had to face problems."

Following the meeting in Sonepat, officials met in Panipat under the leadership of Virender Kumar Dahiya, DC Panipat. DC Dahiya assured the Railway team that the district administration was ready to provide "all possible support" for the project’s successful implementation. He mentioned that the expansion would necessitate the acquisition of 11 hectares from 15 villages — with eight villages in the Samalkha division and seven in Panipat — and confirmed that appropriate compensation would be provided to the landowners.

Chander Shekhar, Deputy Chief Engineer, Northern Railway, Tilak Bridge, added further details on the land aspect of the project: "A proposal has been prepared for this project. 80 hectares of land is private into it while 5 hectares of land is of the government." He concluded by noting that once completed, the upgraded corridor would offer significantly better facilities to the public.