GURUGRAM: RITES Ltd and SMEC International Pty Limited JV have sign agreement with Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC) for providing General Consultancy Services for Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC). The value of contract is INR 72 Crores.
In February 2021, Consortium of RITES-SMEC emerged as the lowest bidder for this contract quoting price of INR 60.98 Crores for this work.
The scope of work as per tender document includes General Consultancy Services for successful planning, basic & detailed designs, preparation of specifications, preparation of proposal documents and tender assistance, checking designs, project management and supervision including construction supervision, safety, quality and environmental management, interface management, testing and commissioning of the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC).
HORC is a broad gauge double railway line for passenger and freight traffic. The total length of corridor is 121.7 km connecting Palwal with Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar, and Kharkhoda in the state of Haryana.
Benefits of HORC –
- Once completed, the corridor will provide seamless connectivity to Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) at Prithla station and to Indian Railways at Palwal, Patli, Sultanpur, Asaudha and Harsana Kalan stations.
- It will reduce traffic congestion in Delhi by diverting both passenger and freight trains not originated or destined for Delhi.
- Trains will operate on this corridor at top speed of 160 km per hour facilitating faster movement of goods between ports and areas around Delhi.
- It will be beneficial to industrial and logistics hub of Sohna, Manesar, and Kharkhoda.
- The corridor will pass through Palwal, Nuh, Gurugram, Jhajjar and Sonipat districts in Haryana. All these districts will be the major beneficiary of this project.
- It will lead to overall development of the whole region by boosting economic and social activities.
- According to Ministry of Railways, 20 thousand passengers will use this corridor every day and around 50 MT of cargo will be transported on this route every year.
The project is approved by the Union Government in September 2020 with an estimated cost of INR 5617 Crores and is funded by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with HRIDC as the implementing agency (Joint Venture of Ministry of Railways and Haryana Government). The corridor is expected to be completed in 5 years.
