Cabinet approves Rs 10,783 crore railway projects across five states

The Cabinet has approved three railway projects worth Rs 10,783 crore across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The projects will add about 656 km to the network, improve connectivity and support freight movement across 14 districts

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved three Railway Ministry projects with a total cost of Rs 10,783 crore.

These projects include the construction of the fourth line between Kharagpur and Jharsuguda and the Katni-Pendra Road section, as well as the third line between the Bilaspur (Uslapur)-Pendra Road section.

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“The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion,” a press note said.

“The projects are planned on the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan with a focus on enhancing multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. These projects will provide seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods and services,” it added.

The three projects, covering 14 districts across the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 656 km.

According to the government, the proposed multi-tracking projects will enhance connectivity to approximately 4,790 villages, which have a population of about 56 lakh.

Outlining the benefits, the government stated that the proposed capacity enhancement will improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations across the country, including Taratarini Temple, Shri Khetra Jagannath Temple (an ancient temple near Jharsuguda), Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Virateshwar Temple, Amarkantak Temple, Jwaleshwar Dham, Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, Khutaghat Dam, Malhar Archaeological Site and Ratanpur Mahamaya Temple.

“The proposed projects are essential routes for the transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, iron and steel. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of 27 MTPA (million tonnes per annum),” the government said.

The government also emphasised the environmental benefits, saying that the Railways, being an environment-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation, will help achieve climate goals and minimise the country’s logistics costs, reduce oil imports by 12 crore litres and lower CO2 emissions by 62 crore kg, equivalent to the plantation of 2.48 crore trees.