Motorists on the Rohtak-Delhi and Rohtak-Sonepat roads can breathe easy. A first-of-its-kind elevated railway track project is all set to come up in Rohtak, the 6th most populous city in Haryana.
This aims at decongesting Rohtak city, providing safety to road users by eliminating five busy level crossings connecting residential colonies, and enable operational flexibility for the Railways.
Manohar Lal Khattar, the Haryana CM, formally launched the project on March 17, 2018. The ambitious, 6-km track, costing around Rs 316 crore, is set to come up on the Rohtak-Panipat line in 18 months, and the existing railway track will be replaced by a road, which will be built at the cost of Rs 8 crore.
An elevated railway track will leave the road free for transport. This is a paradigm shift, from regular construction practices, as the railways will take the aerial route, for the first time. The road will be constructed below the track.
The elevated railway track will be extremely beneficial. It will reduce traffic jams, and since there is no need to acquire land for the project, thousands of residents around the existing railway track would not lose their land.
The corridor will also be financially more viable when pitted against the compensation the landowners would’ve received. Here’s hoping the elevated corridor in Rohtak can streamline traffic, and shorten travel time.
Globally, the concept of elevated corridors is not new. Countries like Japan, Germany and France, have constructed elevated corridors for high-speed trains.
Rohtak Junction railway station is a main railway station in Rohtak, Haryana. The station consists of 3 platforms. There are many trains available for Delhi, Panipat, Rewari, Bhiwani and Jind as well as for long distance journey.
Rohtak is connected to Bahadur Garh through Delhi line, to Gohana through Panipat line and Jhajjar through Rewari line. Delhi and Jind connections are part of the Delhi-Fazilka line, and the line is double tracked from Delhi to Bhatinda, Punjab, India, and is electrified between Delhi and Rohtak. All other lines are single track, and unelectrified. A new railway line from Rohtak to Rewari via Jhajjar became operational from January 2013.
First CNG train of India also runs between Rohtak and Rewari via Jhajjar