Cabinet clears Rs 11,169-Crore rail projects to boost connectivity
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved four major railway projects worth approximately Rs 11,169 crore.
The projects, aimed at expanding capacity and improving operational efficiency, will add 574 kilometres to the Indian Railways network across six states.
The approved projects include the Itarsi–Nagpur fourth line, doubling of the Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)–Parbhani section, third and fourth lines between Aluabari Road and New Jalpaiguri, and third and fourth lines between Dangoaposi and Jaroli. Together, they cover 13 districts spread across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
According to a Ministry of Railways official, these projects are aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and are designed to enhance multi-modal connectivity and logistics efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations.
”The increased line capacity will significantly improve the mobility of goods and passengers while alleviating congestion on existing routes,” the official said.
The multi-tracking initiatives will provide direct rail connectivity to over 2,300 villages, benefiting nearly 43.6 lakh people. The routes are crucial for the transportation of key commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, fly ash, gypsum, agricultural produce, petroleum products, and containers.
“The capacity expansion is expected to generate an additional freight load of 95.91 million tonnes per annum,” the official said.
Apart from economic gains, the projects are expected to contribute meaningfully to India’s environmental goals. As per the official, the augmentation work will help reduce oil imports by 16 crore litres and lower carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 515 crore kilograms. This reduction is said to be equivalent to planting 20 crore trees.
The government said these projects are in line with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a “New India” and are expected to create jobs, promote regional development, and strengthen the goal of making the country self-reliant or “Atmanirbhar.”
India