Aurangabad: Railway Minister Nitish Kumar on August 31 said that an ambitious Rs 31,000 crore project had been cleared by his ministry to reduce the possibility of train accidents and strengthening weak rail bridges across the country.

Kumar told reporters here that continuous rail circuiting system was being introduced in different zones in a bid to check the increasing incidents of mishaps.

He said that the Railway would apply computerised bridge management system, the latest available technology in the world, in the next ten years for strengthening the railway bridges.

Kumar informed that a super thermal power project of 1000 mw at Nabinagar in the district at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore would be set up by the railway in collaboration with the National Thermal Power Station (NTPC) in near future.

Earlier, Kumar laid the foundation stone of the longest rail bridge to be constructed over river sone at the cost of Rs 248.64 crore at Dehri-on-sone.

After laying the stone, Kumar said the new bridge to be constructed was the fourth mega-rail bridge project sanctioned by the Centre for the state.

The four-lane 3.6 kms long rail bridge would be the longes bridge in the country after its completion by 2007, he said.

The minister later flagged off the inaugural run of 3601 UP Gaya-New Delhi Mahabodhi express at Gaya Railway junction. He also inaugurated the coach maintenance pit line at Gaya Railway station.

PTI