The Coal Ministry has identified the construction of Mahanadi Coal Railway Ltd (MCRL) Phase I & II as a high Impact project under PM Gatishakti. MCRL is a dedicated corridor to evacuate fuel from the Talcher Coalfields under Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd. Talcher is one of the largest coalfields, with about 52 BT of coal resources, or 15% of total prognosticated coal resources in the country. Of the available resources in Talcher Coalfield, more than 63% (33 BT) lies at less than 300 metres depth, presenting significant potential for open cast mining. Talcher Coalfields has produced more than 95 million tonnes of coal during FY22 and is likely to produce about 200 mt in FY 2024-25 and about 300 by FY 2030. To ensure efficient coal evacuation, construction of the rail line was started in a phased manner. Mahanadi Coal Railway was incorporated in 2015 with a 64% share held by Mahanadi Coalfield (MCL), 26% by IRCON and 10% by the Industrial Development Corporation of Odisha (IDCO). The alignment of the project traverses Angul district in Odisha. MCRL Phase-I (Angul-Balram) of 14 km length is expected to be operationalised by this year, and MCRL Phase-II (54 km) is expected to be commissioned by December 2025. Also Read: Talks on for easier ways to transport eastern India’s coal Maharashtra ranks third in terms of coal buffer stocks