Haryana agency awards contracts for viaducts on Palwal-Sonipat rail

According to the corporation, these two tunnels are the most complex engineering challenges of the entire project, and while they are built, the whole network will be ready

The Haryana rail infrastructure development corporation (HRIDC), which is building a rail corridor between Palwal and Sonipat that will pass through Gurugram, announced on Wednesday that it will award the contract for constructing two viaducts on the network in Nuh and Sohna by the end of this year, with work on these two projects expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Construction of the 126-km-long Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor from Palwal to Sonipat and the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway, which will connect Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar, and Kharkhoda Broad gauge double railway line for passengers and goods traffic, is underway. (HT Archive)

According to the corporation, these two tunnels are the most complex engineering challenges of the entire project, and while they are built, the whole network will be ready.

According to Rajesh Agarwal, managing director of HRIDC, work on the project has begun, and the corporation has completed the corridor’s land acquisition. “The physical work has also begun near Pataudi, and we expect to finish the project by the middle of 2027. The two tunnels are difficult projects that will be awarded by the end of this year,” he said.

According to Agarwal, the corridor will have freight and passenger traffic and greatly benefit the entire region.

Earlier Wednesday, stakeholders and officials from related departments met at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi to discuss the project.

According to the HRIDC, a 3.5-kilometre-long, 25-metre-high viaduct is proposed to be built in Haryana’s Sohna-Nuh area, a complex engineering task. According to HRIDC officials, all senior officials involved in this project discussed the structure of the double tunnel and viaduct, its construction, new technology, and potential construction challenges.

During the meeting, Agarwal said that after determining all technical parameters, tenders for the proposed 3.5-km-long viaduct in Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Nuh would be invited. The tender process for this work will be completed by December 2023, after which the contract will be awarded and the work completed by the end of 2026.

Agarwal also said that construction of the 126-km-long Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor from Palwal to Sonipat and the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway, which will connect Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar, and Kharkhoda Broad gauge double railway line for passengers and goods traffic, is underway.

The industrial centres of Nuh, Kharkhoda, Manesar, and Sohna will benefit from this project.

The Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) is a joint venture project between the Haryana government and the Ministry of Railways. The special purpose vehicle is called the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation, with the Haryana government owning 51% and the Ministry of Railways holding 49%.

The HORC is a 126-kilometre rail line that connects Palwal and Sonipat via Nuh, Sohna, Manesar, and Kharkhoda along the KMP expressway.

Last year, union home minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the orbital rail project in Faridabad.