Cabinet clears ₹9450 crore railway multitracking projects across four states
The Cabinet has approved four railway multitracking projects worth about ₹9,450 crore across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, adding nearly 410 km to the network.
The projects are being planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with an emphasis on multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency.
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved four railway multitracking projects with a combined estimated cost of about ₹9,450 crore, covering eight districts across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The projects, scheduled for completion up to 2030-31, will add about 410 km to the existing Indian Railways network and increase line capacity on key passenger and freight corridors.
The approved projects are the 173-km fourth line between Kharagpur and Bhadrak (Ranital) in West Bengal and Odisha; the 75-km fourth line between Bhadrak and Haridaspur in Odisha; the 90-km third and fourth lines between Gummidipundi and Gudur in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; and the 72-km third and fourth lines between Cuttack and Paradeep (Badabandha) in Odisha.
The capacity enhancement is expected to ease congestion, improve operational efficiency and strengthen the reliability of railway services. The projects are being planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with an emphasis on multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency.
According to the government, the four projects will improve rail connectivity for around 6,448 villages with a combined population of about 60 lakh people. They are also expected to facilitate the movement of passengers, goods and services across the four states.
The expanded rail capacity will improve access to several tourist and religious destinations, including Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park, Chandipur Beach, Talsari-Udaypur, Pulicat Lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Lalitgiri, Panchalingeswar Temple, Dhabaleswar Temple, Sarala Temple and Gada Kujanga Jagannath Temple.
The corridors are also important for transporting commodities including coal, iron ore, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles and food grains. The capacity augmentation is expected to generate additional freight traffic of around 76 million tonnes per annum.
The government said the shift of additional freight to rail, which is a more energy-efficient mode of transport, will help reduce logistics costs and support India’s climate goals. The projects are estimated to save around 13 crore litres of oil imports and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 65 crore kg, equivalent to the environmental benefit of planting around 2.60 crore trees.
