Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) plans to lay down a private railway line through interiors of the Maoist-affected Gadchiroli district. This could be the only second railway line of this backward district, considering the Wadsa-Gadchiroli line of South East Central Railway is work in progress. The 47 km proposed railway track from Mul in Chandrapur to Kondseri in Gadchiroli will be constructed on a revenue sharing basis between LMEL and Indian Railway. Entailing an investment of 3,500 crore, the project will be similar to the British-era Shakuntala Express ? the train which connects Yavatmal to Amravati. The Shakuntala Express runs on a private railway line owned by Central Provinces Railway Company (CRPC) though it has passed its heydays. LMEL operates a direct reduced iron (DRI) making plant in Kondseri. Besides shipping out finished steel to the rest of the country, the railway line will be available for carrying passengers as well. The railway project is mooted under an old government scheme which permits laying non-government rail lines. The scheme, however, could not take off then but LMEL now eyes to have its own rail line under the same plan, said a source. LMEL promoter director B Prabhakaran said a detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared and the route alignment for laying the track has been identified, which would be followed by a notification on land acquisition. ?As much as 250 acres of land will be acquired for the project which will not be a siding rather a full-fledged rail line that would transport passengers also,? said Prabhakaran. Subject to getting all the clearances, the railway line is expected to be ready in a span of 36 months, Prabhakarn told TOI. Meanwhile, LMEL has secured environmental clearance for starting a pellet-making plant with capacity of 9 million tons per day in Kondseri. The ground-breaking ceremony for the plant has been planned for December, to be presided over by Union home minister Amit Shah. It may become functional by 2025, said sources. LMEL also plans to start the work on a 90 km slurry pipeline that would transport the iron ore from its mines at Surjagarh to Kondseri, located about 100 kms from Gadchiroli.