Mumbai, Oct. 27 -- Indian Railways services have reached Rowghat in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district for the first time since Independence after the Tadoki-Rowghat section opened. The 17.5-km stretch completes the 95-km Dallirajhara-Rowghat railway line, built at an estimated cost of Rs. 16.28 bn, and improves access to a remote part of Bastar.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai inaugurated the section and flagged off passenger services connecting Rowghat with Raipur via Dallirajhara. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw joined the event virtually from New Delhi. The opening extends passenger operations beyond Tadoki, which had previously been the line's terminus.
Passenger services were already operating on the 77.5-km Dallirajhara-Tadoki section before the final stretch was completed. The line forms part of the approximately 240-km Dallirajhara-Rowghat-Jagdalpur railway project, a joint initiative involving the Chhattisgarh government, NMDC, SAIL and Indian Railways. The wider project is intended to improve access to education, healthcare, employment and markets while supporting freight movement.
The route will also facilitate the movement of iron ore from the Rowghat mining area to steel plants, including SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant. The wider rail link is planned to extend to Jagdalpur, and subsequently towards Koraput in Odisha and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Sai also inaugurated the 22-km Abhanpur-Kurud broad gauge section and flagged off services between Raipur and Kurud. The section is part of the Abhanpur-Dhamtari gauge conversion project, while work on the Kurud-Dhamtari section remains in progress. A locomotive maintenance facility was also laid in Rowghat, with capacity for 300 high-horsepower electric locomotives and plans to manufacture modern 9,000-horsepower models. Separately, 32 railway stations in Chhattisgarh are being redeveloped, with eight completed, while railway works worth about Rs. 570 bn are underway across the state, which has achieved 100 per cent electrification.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.