Trial run on nation’s first elevated railway track in Rohtak

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, August 19

First trial run of goods train on the country’s first 4.8-km-long elevated railway track in Rohtak was conducted on Wednesday.

“It was a test run to examine the safety of the structure before the final trial. A goods train loaded with rail lines ran smoothly on the track with slow speed. The movement of the train was good and we can now expect its final trial soon,” said Pradeep Ranjan, technical adviser of the project.

Former minister and Senior BJP leader Manish Grover, who was present on the occasion, said it was his dream project and he was eagerly waiting for the completion of its work for inauguration. He would try to get Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal’s time for the same, he added.

“The track will not only do away with five-level crossings in the city and reduce traffic jams but also bring a major relief to several residential colonies located nearby as they had to cover a long distance while going to the other side due to the railway track,” said Grover.

To examine safety

It was a test run to examine its safety before the final trial. A goods train loaded with rail lines ran smoothly on the track with slow speed. The movement of the train was good and we can now expect its final trial soon. —Pradeep Ranjan, Technical adviser of project

He said a 5-km-long road between Sector 6 and Railway Station would also be constructed on one side of the track. The state government had recently approved this project that would cost around Rs 17 crore. The work on the project would be initiated soon. The road would facilitate residents of several nearby colonies to reach the railway station within five to ten minutes, he said.

The then Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu, had electronically unveiled the foundation stone of this Rs 350 crore project in November, 2016, but it was formally launched by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in March 2018.