The long-pending Tori-Balumath railway line (19.3 Kms), a crucial project for faster coal transportation from mines in Jharkhand to power plants, will be inaugurated today, the Railways ministry said.

Union Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha will inaugurate the railway line through video-conferencing and a train would also be flagged off on the newly-constructed section, the ministry said in a statement here.

Tori Junction (station code TORI) and Balumath are the railway stations serving the city of Chandwa which is the connecting point of Latehar and Hazaribag districts. It also connects Lohardaga Station belongs to the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railway.

The 19.3-km Tori-Balumath railway line in Jharkhand is part of the 44-km Tori-Shivpur section and work on the project had started in August 2000, with an initial completion date in 2006.

The line was completed at a cost of Rs 1,063 crore.

The statement said the railway line will facilitate faster transportation of coal from Central Coalfields Limiteds Magadh, Amrapali, Chandragupta and Sanghamitra open cast mines.

The project is being funded by the coal major and implemented by the Railways, it said.

The railways earns a revenue of Rs 100 crore for every 1 MT of coal transported to about 500 km.

Even if 100 MT is to be transported by Tori-Shivpur, this railway line will generate a revenue of about Rs 10,000 crore per annum (for an average lead of 500 km), the statement said.

This railway line will significantly reduce air pollution and carbon foot print and will promote environmental friendly transportation of coal.