Cuttack, Aug. 24: Delay in closure of the railway level crossing at Barang is blocking free flow of traffic between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar following the opening of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Setu over the Kathajodi river.

Level crossings are provided on the railway lines to allow movement of road traffic across the tracks.  
The East Coast Railway had built a road underbridge to eliminate the Barang level crossing, which obstructs traffic movement on the stretch connecting the twin cities via Nandankanan and Trishulia. 

The railway had assured the state government of closing the crossing by June 30. But as things stand today, the level crossing cannot be closed before another seven months.

Traffic has considerably increased on the route since the Netaji setu was opened on July 19. Bulk of the estimated 50,000 vehicles that used to ply daily through the NH-5 from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar are taking the 2.81km bridge as it reduces the distance to the capital city by nearly 12km.

“Commissioning of the road underbridge, built to eliminate the Barang railway level crossing, is essential to ease traffic congestion that has increased on the route to Bhubaneswar from Cuttack following the opening of Netaji setu,” said Cuttack assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Pradeep Kumar Dalai.

East Coast Railway, along with Rail Vikash Nigam Limited, had planned elimination of the level crossing as part of the doubling of 3.20km track between Rajathgarh and Barang.

Rail Vikash Nigam Ltd’s chief project manager T.K. Padmanaban said: “The road underbridge will be commissioned in the first week of March next year. This will enable the railway to allow train movement over the underbridge and officially close the level crossing.”

Padmanaban said the work that remains to be executed to complete the process of elimination of the Barang level crossing involved stopping movement of trains on the existing tracks, dismantling 3.20km of tracks, filling earth to raise the level along with ramp on either approach.

The tracks have to be re-laid with necessary electrification arrangement over it and re-establishment of the signalling system with necessary interlocking arrangement, said Padmanaban, adding that as the weather conditions were not conducive (monsoon), work would be taken up only after the end of October.

Padmanaban said this in his affidavit to Orissa High Court on Tuesday in response to a PIL.

Rajabagicha resident Biswa Ranjan Gharei, 50, said: “The level crossing is creating hindrance to the free movement of traffic in the area and resulting in huge traffic congestion.” Gharei had filed the PIL seeking the court’s intervention against the delay in closure of the level crossing.

Railway’s deputy chief engineer (bridge) Ramesh Chandra Sahoo said: “There are two pairs of railway tracks at 
the level crossing. Therefore, the road underbridge consists of two bridge structures, one on the existing line and the other one is on the new doubling constructed and opened on June 23.”