The Railways is set to construct four new bridges over the Birupa, Mahanadi, Kathajodi, and Kuakhai rivers in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. These bridges will be part of the 22-kilometer Nergundi-Barang section, for which a tender has already been issued. The estimated cost of constructing the rail line is around Rs 10 billion. This section is crucial to the larger third line expansion project, spanning 385 kilometers between Bhadrak in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, along the Howrah-Chennai mainline.
Of the planned bridges, the most notable will be a 2.1-kilometer span over the Mahanadi river. The original Mahanadi rail bridge, completed in 1899 at a cost of Rs 26,88,200, was a remarkable feat of engineering for its time, featuring 64 spans of 30 meters each. Designed under the supervision of engineer William Beckett, the bridge earned him a gold medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1901 and remains a significant landmark in India’s railway history. The second Mahanadi rail bridge, commissioned in 2008 at a cost of Rs 1.2 billion, spans 2.1 kilometers and is built to support trains traveling at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, while also being designed to withstand seismic events.
The new Mahanadi bridge, along with those over the Birupa, Kathajodi, and Kuakhai rivers, forms part of the third line project aimed at enhancing capacity and reliability within the railway network. These bridges will play a key role in ensuring safer, more efficient travel, as per East Coast Railway (ECoR) sources.
A senior railway official highlighted that the third line project is essential for increasing train traffic capacity and improving connectivity between key industrial and commercial hubs in Odisha and beyond. The additional line will help ease congestion on existing routes, reduce travel times, and improve the overall efficiency of both freight and passenger services. Current train delays, often caused by congestion from the Dhenkanal side, will be alleviated by the new line.
Ranjit Swain, a local railway enthusiast, pointed out that the Howrah-Chennai mainline passing through Cuttack and Bhubaneswar experiences heavy traffic, making this project vital for ensuring the smooth flow of freight and passenger trains.
