Under-Construction Khurda-Bolangir Rail Tunnel Collapses Near Boudh
No workers were present inside the tunnel at the time of the incident.- East Coast Railway
BHUBANESWAR: A section of the under-construction Khurda Road–Bolangir railway tunnel reportedly caved in near Adenigarh in Boudh district on Sunday.
The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained. Initial reports indicate that the incident resulted in a crater approximately 30 metres in length. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances leading to the mishap.
Fortunately, there were no casualties. According to the East Coast Railway, no workers were present inside the tunnel at the time of the incident.
The 306.25-kilometre-long Khurda Road–Bolangir railway line, first surveyed in 1945, was officially sanctioned in 1994–95. The Odisha government later signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Railways to jointly execute certain sections of the project on a cost-sharing basis.
Once completed, the rail line will connect the cities of Nayagarh, Boudh, and Sonepur with Bhubaneswar and Bolangir. Several smaller towns, including Tarbha, Daspalla, Banigochha, and Mahipur, will also benefit from improved rail connectivity. The project has made steady progress on the Bolangir side, with work completed up to Jharmunda.
In July 2016, then railway minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the 36-kilometre Khurda Road–Begunia stretch. Track laying up to Nayagarh was completed by June 2017, and five trains currently operate regularly between Khurda Road (KUR) and Nayagarh Town (NYGT).
On January 15, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first train from Balangir to Bicchupalli station along the Bolangir–Khurda Road route, marking a significant milestone for the project.
