Twin tunnels for double-decker trains on anvil in Aravallis
In order to accommodate double-decker goods and passenger trains, the Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC) has planned to construct a one-of-its-kind 4.7km double tunnel through the Aravallis. The trains will run on the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) connecting Palwal and Sonipat via Sohna and Manesar. This will be the country's first railway tunnel for double-decker trains and will be connected to the rest of the corridor through a 3.5-km-long and 25-metre-high viaduct. The tunnels will connect Sohna and Nuh and Sohna will be a vital junction for transport operations because the orbital rail will intersect with the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) at this point.
The rail corridor is meant to primarily cater to the industrial centres of southern fringes of Haryana like Manesar and Sohna as well as Kharkhoda in Sonipat, which is the automobile hub of the future with Maruti setting up its new manufacturing plant there. The orbital rail corridor is being built along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway, Managing Director of HRIDC, Rajesh Agarwal, said adding that the twin tunnels and viaduct involve complex engineering challenges as they will come in the Aravallis. Only after determining all the technical parameters, the nodal agency will invite tenders in the next few months and the project is expected to be completed by 2026, he added.
The rail corridor is meant to primarily cater to the industrial centres of southern fringes of Haryana like Manesar and Sohna as well as Kharkhoda in Sonipat, which is the automobile hub of the future with Maruti setting up its new manufacturing plant there. The orbital rail corridor is being built along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway, Managing Director of HRIDC, Rajesh Agarwal, said adding that the twin tunnels and viaduct involve complex engineering challenges as they will come in the Aravallis. Only after determining all the technical parameters, the nodal agency will invite tenders in the next few months and the project is expected to be completed by 2026, he added.