Rail connectivity reached Rowghat in Kanker district in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar for the first time since Independence on Tuesday, with the opening of the Tadoki-Rowghat railway section. Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai inaugurated the new section and the Abhanpur-Kurud broad-gauge line, and flagged off passenger train services on both routes to improve connectivity and access to essential services.
Sai flagged off the trains connecting Rowghat with Raipur and Raipur with Kurud at a programme held at Raipur railway station. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw joined the event virtually from New Delhi.
“The arrival of rail connectivity in Rowghat is not merely an expansion of the railway network. It is an important step towards connecting the remote areas of Bastar and southern Chhattisgarh with new opportunities for development,” Sai said.
He said the new rail link would improve access to education, healthcare, employment, trade and transport facilities in the region.
“Railway infrastructure in Chhattisgarh is witnessing unprecedented expansion under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The double-engine government is committed to extending modern transport facilities to the state’s remote and tribal areas,” Sai said.
The 95-km Dallirajhara-Rowghat railway line was completed at a cost of around ₹1,628 crore. The final 17.5-km stretch between Tadoki and Rowghat was completed last month.
Passenger services were already operational on the 77.5-km Dallirajhara-Tadoki section. With the completion of the final stretch, trains can now run up to Rowghat.
The section is part of the approximately 240-km Dallirajhara-Rowghat-Jagdalpur railway project, a joint venture involving the Chhattisgarh government, NMDC, SAIL and the Railways.
The project is expected to improve connectivity in remote areas of Bastar and facilitate the movement of people and goods. It will also help transport iron ore from the Rowghat mining area to steel plants, including SAIL’s Bhilai Steel Plant.
“With the inauguration of the Tadoki-Rowghat section, Raipur has now been connected to Rowghat through Dallirajhara. This link will be further extended to Jagdalpur and then to Koraput in Odisha and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh,” Vaishnaw said.
The minister said the Centre was working to connect areas that had remained outside the railway network for decades.
“Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai has decided that land acquisition for the Rowghat-Jagdalpur railway line will be taken up on priority,” Vaishnaw said.
Around ₹57,000 crore worth of railway works are underway in Chhattisgarh and the state has achieved 100% railway electrification, he said.
“There will be no shortage of funds for railway projects in Chhattisgarh,” Vaishnaw added.
The Abhanpur-Kurud line is part of the Abhanpur-Dhamtari gauge conversion project. The 22-km Abhanpur-Kurud section has been completed, while work on the remaining Kurud-Dhamtari section is underway.
The new passenger services are expected to benefit students, employees, farmers, traders and other passengers travelling between Kurud and Raipur and between Rowghat and the state capital.
Sai also laid the foundation stone for an electric locomotive maintenance facility in Raipur. The facility will have the capacity to maintain 300 high-horsepower electric locomotives, according to the state government.
Vaishnaw said the facility would cater to modern 9,000-horsepower electric locomotives that meet international standards and could also be exported in the future.
Sai said 32 railway stations in Chhattisgarh were being developed as world-class facilities, with eight already completed and dedicated to the nation.