Indian Railways approves ₹755 crore Champa-Korba third line project to enhance capacity on key coal corridor

NEW DELHI : Indian Railways recently approved a ₹755-crore project to build a third railway line between Champa and Korba in Chhattisgarh, aiming to increase capacity on one of the country’s key coal transportation corridors.

The 42-km project, to be executed by South East Central Railway (SECR), forms part of Indian Railways’ efforts to strengthen freight movement on high-density routes amid rising coal production in the region.

The Champa-Korba section connects coalfields operated by subsidiaries of state-run Coal India, including South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), to the national rail network and the Mumbai–Howrah freight corridor.

The route currently handles about 55 pairs of freight trains and 10 pairs of passenger trains daily. Combined coal production capacity in the SECL and MCL areas is estimated at around 247 million tonnes per annum and is expected to rise significantly in the coming years.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Railways,, the additional line will help ease congestion, improve operational flexibility and support higher freight volumes. The project is expected to enable the movement of an additional 5.95 million tonnes of freight annually and allow the operation of two additional passenger train services in each direction every day.

The Railways estimates the project could generate annual net earnings of about ₹85 crore, largely from increased freight traffic. The additional line is also expected to reduce delays faced by freight trains on the section.