From Tata to L&T, large companies are interested in the Sonnagar-Gomoh section: Railways
Several important entities have expressed interest in the Sonnagar-Gomoh section of the dedicated eastern freight corridor, the construction of which is estimated at a cost of ₹9,000 crores. According to officials, large organizations like Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd, India Exim Bank and KPMG, infrastructure companies like L&T, GMR and TATA Projects have shown interest in the Sonnagar-Gomoh section, which is expected to serve large power plants, industrial corridors and MMLP. in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The Union Ministry of Railways has approved the Sonnagar-Dankuni section (536 km) and it is part of the 1,875 km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC). It will be developed in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
On Tuesday, a stakeholder meeting will be held where companies like the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited, HSBC, IndusInd Bank, IRCON, Adani Group and multinationals like ABB Power Products and systems India Ltd, Sojitz- India and Sojitz-Japan, RZD International LLC (100% subsidiary of Russian Railway), KEC International Ltd will also participate, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India said in a statement.
The project will take place in two phases. The first is the Sonnagar-Gomoh section (262 km) and the second section is Gomoh-Dankuni (274 km).
“The Sonnagar-Gomoh section offers high traffic potential, estimated at 70 GMT in fiscal year 2027 and increased to 128 GMT by fiscal year 2042. Significant social benefits will accrue to the catchment area population who is engaged in agriculture, the substantial population being small traders, artisans or employed in industrial / commercial establishments.
“The implementation of the project will lead to the creation of new employment opportunities both during construction and after construction,” the statement said.
He also said that the economic benefits of the project are mainly due to freeing up the capacity of existing lines by moving freight traffic from Indian railways to the Sonnagar-Gomoh section of EDFC and reducing traffic from commercial vehicles on the road.
Rail passenger and freight traffic on existing lines will benefit from the increased speed and reduced transit time due to improved road capacity on the proposed corridor, the statement said.
“The project will lead to efficient and rapid movement of freight traffic, resulting in a substantial improvement in the turnaround time of rolling stock, resulting in savings on the cost of inventory. The comparative cost of rail transport over medium and long distances is lower than that of the other alternative mode of road transport. , “It said.
The proposed section is expected to provide connectivity to the movement of goods in the region to ports along the west coast. This would help increase industrial activity in the project area, he added.
The Sonnagar-Gomoh section will be an integral part of the EDFC which connects Dankuni in West Bengal to Ludhiana in Punjab.
“The opportunities offered to the concessionaire are less risky for the private actor due to the revenue sharing against expected traffic, the ease of financing and the availability of 100% FDI for the project. Project stakeholders include Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), state governments, steel manufacturers who can be considered as potential partners in the project, “the statement said.
A major USP of the project is the connectivity between the Eastern DFC and the Western DFC at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, allowing traffic flow from the Western ports to the Eastern regions of India.
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