The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Central Zone (Mumbai), Manoj Arora will conduct an inspection of the newly-constructed railway track from Bhopal to Ramganj Mandi on February 21. The inspection will focus on the safety and fitness of the track to ensure it is ready for passenger train services. The track, which spans a total of 277 kilometres, is being developed with 175 kilometres in Madhya Pradesh and 101 kilometres in Rajasthan. The Bhopal Division is responsible for 111 kilometres of this new line, while the remaining 165 kilometres fall under the Kota Division.

 

The Bhopal Division’s stretch, which includes 12 stations, is currently under construction, with ongoing work on the Bhopal-Biaora section. After the track passes the CRS inspection, if it is deemed fit, then the Sant Hirdaram Nagar to Jharkheda section of the line will be operational. Manoj Arora will also inspect the Kota Division’s Nayagaon Pur-Khilchipur section, covering a distance of 21 kilometres on February 20. During this inspection, the focus will be on ensuring the track’s fitness for passenger services.

 

The track inspection involves a trolley-based test, where the Commissioner will be seated on a trolley equipped with wheels, pushed along the track by a railway worker to check its stability and condition. Following this, goods trains are run to further assess the track’s safety, and ultimately, passenger trains will be tested. The ongoing construction of the Bhopal-Ramganj Mandi line, which began in the year 2023, has a total budget of Rs 4,355 crore, with 26 stations along the route. The target for completion of this project is set for December 2027. In the Bhopal Division alone, a budget of Rs 1,255 crore has been allocated for the 111 kilometres of track and 12 stations being built. The sections of the new rail line project from Ramganj Mandi to Bhopal are as follows: Biaora-Sonkach- 45% of the work is complete. Sonkach-Narsingarh: 15% complete. Narsingarh-Kurawar: 10% complete. Kurawar-Shampur: 30% complete. Shampur-Jharkheda: 70% complete. Jharkheda-Sant Hirdaram Nagar: 90% complete. Sant Hirdaram Nagar-Nishatpura D Cabin: 100% complete.