Once completed, the eastern dedicated freight corridor will bring about an “industrial revolution” in West Bengal, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed here on Tuesday at the inauguration of the work on the project here.
The 1,806-km eastern corridor will extend from Dankuni to Ludhiana and pass through several mining and industrial towns such as Asansol, Dhanbad, Sonnagar, Khurja and Saharanpur. It is being designed for a maximum train speed of 100 kmph.
Addressing the function that was attended by representatives from various apex industrial bodies and chambers of commerce in the State, Ms. Banerjee said: “In future, an industrial revolution will gain momentum in places through which the corridor will pass and Dankuni will serve as a key point.”
She added that a new freight terminal will be set up here and expressed the hope that the region will turn into an automobile and ancillary hub within two years and provide employment to local youth.
Incidentally, Dankuni is located within 50 km of Singur — where Ms. Banerjee's party Trinamool Congress started a movement against alleged forcible land acquisition by the State government for setting up the Tata Motors' small car factory.
The project was finally withdrawn from the State in 2008 in the face of the agitation led by the Trinamool.
Ms. Banerjee appealed to industrialists to set up industries in the region as well as in other railway projects which had been put in the cold storage due to lack of funds.
