The Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the Angul-Balram Rail-link on 29 December 2022 in Angul in the presence of the Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwani Vaishnav.
The 14-km long Angul-Balram rail link is likely to enable Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) to increase daily coal despatch to the consumers by about 40 thousand tonne. The rail-link project was constructed at a cost of Rs 300 crore by MCRL (Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited), a Joint Venture Company (JV) of MCL, IRCON International Ltd and IDCO. The commissioning of the first phase Angul-Balram rail-link has enhanced the potential of MCL to despatch coal by 10 more rakes daily.
The Angul-Balram rail link is the first phase of a total 68-km-long Inner Corridor – Angul-Balram-PutugadiaJarapada-Tentuloi — which will cater to the coal mines of Talcher coalfields in Angul district. The inner corridor is being implemented by MCRL in two phases. In the first phase, 14-km-long Angul-Balram rail link was to be constructed, while in the Phase-II 54-km-long Balram-Putugadia-Jarapada-Tentuloi rail-link would be completed. IRCON International Ltd is the implementing agency of this project, being developed at an estimated total cost of Rs 1,700 crore.
MCRL, a JV was formed in 2015 to undertake project development, financing and implementation of common rail corridor for the identified coal projects in the state of Odisha. In the MCRL, MCL, as a representative of the Ministry of Coal, has 64 per cent equity shares, while IRCON, representing the Ministry of Railways, has 26 per cent and IDCO, representing the Govt of Odisha, has 10 per cent equity shares.
