LUCKNOW, Sept. 18 -- Survey work for the proposed 170-km-long Orbital Railway Corridor encircling the state capital is set to begin likely by October, Northern Railways officials said. Planned as a double-line project, the corridor will connect seven major railway routes around Lucknow to decongest existing lines, streamline freight and passenger operations, and ensure smoother train movement through the region. Talking to HT, Northern Railways' Lucknow division senior divisional operations manager Rajneesh Srivastava said the tendering process had already started. "Once tendering is completed, the survey will begin, likely by October and is expected to take about 12 to 18 months to finish," he added. He further said discussions were being held with the state government for inclusion of the project in the upcoming master plan. "We are also involving the town planning team of Lucknow Development Authority in map planning, coordination, and alignment," he added. The Orbital Corridor will be a double-line track covering 170 km. It will link the Lucknow-Kanpur section, Lucknow-Shahjahanpur-Moradabad section, Aishbagh-Daliganj-Sitapur City, Lucknow-Barabanki-Gonda section, Lucknow-Barabanki-Ayodhya section, Lucknow-Sultanpur-Varanasi section, and Lucknow-Raebareli-Varanasi section. Officials said drones would be used for mapping, ensuring no harm to villages, ponds, or rivers during the survey. Senior divisional commercial manager (NR), Lucknow, Kuldeep Tiwari, said the city currently manages seven major railway routes handling both freight and passenger traffic. "Train movement faces frequent disruptions due to heavy congestion. Nearly 90% of freight trains and 70-80% of passenger services pass through Lucknow Aishbagh stations," he said. According to Tiwari, the Orbital Corridor will connect all seven routes through "Y" shaped connections, enabling smoother operations and reducing pressure on existing lines. This will help freight or passenger services coming on one radial route can be routed onto the orbital ring and then on to a different radial route via the Y connector....