Plans are under consideration for a major new rail corridor for the Talcher coalfields, with an estimated project cost of Rs 4,882 crore. The initiative is part of an overarching strategy to facilitate faster evacuation of coal from the region, particularly as Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd plans to increase its coal despatch via rail to 88 per cent (162.8 million tonnes) by 2029-30.

According to reports by The New Indian Express, the new inner and outer rail corridors of Talcher are critical to this plan, with the first phase, the Angul-Balram rail link, already commissioned.

The second phase (Balram-Putagadia-Tentuloi-Jharpada) and a 112.56 km outer corridor (Budhapanka to Luburi via Tentuloi) are in the pipeline. The project is expected to be executed in a public-private partnership (PPP) mo

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