Ghaziabad: GDA to coordinate with Haryana on proposed orbital rail project
The orbital rail project envisages the creation of a railway network that runs on the outskirts of Delhi, near the alignment of Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) to ferry passengers and goods through NCR, without entering Delhi
The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) will act as the nodal agency of Uttar Pradesh for coordinating with the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC) over the development of the proposed orbital rail project, senior officials in Uttar Pradesh said on Wednesday.
The orbital rail project envisages the creation of a railway network that runs on the outskirts of Delhi, near the alignment of Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE). The two operational expressways, each about 135km long, form a circular route for vehicles to bypass Delhi and passes through the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Officials had earlier said the project is a part of the National Capital Region Plan-2021 and is also part of the draft plan of 2041. Haryana has taken the lead in this project and has formed a special purpose vehicle, the HRIDC, for executing it under the jurisdiction of Haryana.
“As directed, GDA will coordinate with HRIDC for the project. The agency has started work on a feasibility report and the GDA will be pay the fee for drawing up this report. Thereafter, the same agency will be preparing a detailed project report for the portion of the orbital rail project that falls in Uttar Pradesh,” said Atul Vats, vice-chairperson, GDA.
Senior officials said the orbital rail would help ferry both passengers and goods to different parts of the National Capital Region around the WPE and EPE and will also connect to various multimodal points of the freight corridor, and Regional Rapid Transit System stations, among others.
The HRIDC has sent a communication with regard to the feasibility study to GDA on August 20. In the communication, the agency said the feasibility study is underway and reports will be submitted in due course.
“Once we receive the feasibility report, it will be sent to the state (UP) government for further action,” Vats said.
The orbital rail in Haryana is proposed to connect Palwal to Sonipat through Sohna, Manesar and Kharkhouda, and it has been planeed as a broad gauge line for passenger and freight movement.
In Uttar Pradesh, it will run along the EPE through Baghpat, Ghaziabad, and Greater Noida.