Kharsia – Parmalkasa Rail Project a Historic Step for the Development of Chhattisgarh – Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai
Raipur, April 7, 2025 / Regarding the Kharsia-Naya Raipur-Parmalkasa rail project approved by the Union Cabinet, Railway, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a press conference held at Rail Bhawan on Monday that this project is going to transform the rail connectivity of Chhattisgarh. This project will cost Rs 8741 crore and will provide coverage to the entire Chhattisgarh from one end to the other. The Railway Minister said that the Kharsia-Parmalkasa 5th-6th rail line is like a new artery of the rail network in Chhattisgarh. It will provide rail network facility from the border of Odisha to the border of Maharashtra.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Railway Minister said that this is one of the biggest projects in India. It will connect districts like Raigarh, Janjgir Champa, Bilaspur, Baloda Bazar, Durg and Rajnandgaon of Chhattisgarh. Under this, 21 stations will be built, 48 major bridges and also 349 minor bridges, 14 flyovers and 184 underpasses will be constructed. To avoid inconvenience to the local residents, 5 rail flyovers will also be constructed.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that in this project, 615 kilometers of long tracks will be laid in a 278 kilometer route. After the construction of this route, more than 8 Mail/Express trains will be operated. With the construction of this rail network, about 22 crore liters of diesel will be saved and the railways will save about Rs 2500 crore on diesel. The Railway Minister said that the Lakshmi Narayan temple, which is associated with the episode of Mata Shabari during Lord Rama’s exile, will also be connected to this rail network. Major industrial hubs of cement production like Baloda Bazar and Kharsia will also be connected to this network.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that for the convenience of the local people, the Railways is now adopting the bypass method. Under this, emphasis is being laid on taking the goods train out of the city. While passenger trains will be allowed entry inside the city. This will also be the focus during the construction of this rail line. Also, the Kosa Silk producing areas of Chhattisgarh’s cultural heritage will also be connected through the rail line. Due to this, 2 crore man-days of employment will be generated.
The Railway Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chhattisgarh’s railway budget has now increased 22 times to more than about Rs 6900 crore. Also, after 2014, there has been unprecedented acceleration in railway work in Chhattisgarh. Under this, 1,125 km of new tracks have been built, which is more than the entire railway network of Dubai.
He said that the total investment of Railways in Chhattisgarh is more than Rs 47 thousand crore. Under this, 32 stations are being reconstructed, and they are being completely renovated. The work of development of many of these stations will be completed by the end of this year.
Giving information about the important rail projects of the state, the Railway Minister said that the Dallirajhara to Raoghat new line is about to be completed. Now the work of preparing the DPR of the Raoghat to Jagdalpur rail line ahead of it is almost complete. Similarly, work is also progressing rapidly on the Gevra-Pendra Road new line. Along with this, the third line from Rajnandgaon to Nagpur, the fourth line from Jharsuguda to Bilaspur, and the gauge conversion of the Raipur-Kendra-Dhamtari to Abhanpur-Rajim line are being made into broad gauge. Adequate funds have been given for the fourth line from Rajnandgaon to Dongargarh, the doubling of Jagdalpur to Koraput, the new line from Dharamjaigarh to Korba, and the doubling of Anuppur to Ambikapur. Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Indian Railways is working to fulfill the expectations with which the people of Chhattisgarh have formed a double engine government.
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai said that since the central government has come under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thousands of crores of railway-related work is being done in Chhattisgarh. It is a matter of good fortune for the state that many districts of Chhattisgarh are connected to the new project. The government has given crores of funds for the development of stations, this will change the picture of Railways and Chhattisgarh.