New Delhi, July 28: Indian Railways has approved a ₹163 crore project to upgrade the electric traction system on the Parbhani-Mudkhed double-line section in the Nanded Division of South Central Railway, aiming to increase freight capacity and support the operation of Vande Bharat Express trains.
The project involves converting the existing 1×25 kV electric traction system to a more advanced 2×25 kV system across 164 track kilometres. It also includes associated power supply infrastructure upgrades to meet higher electrical load requirements.
The Parbhani-Mudkhed section is part of the strategically important Highly Utilised Network (HUN) Route-9, which connects Ajmer, Indore, Khandwa, Akola, Purna, Mudkhed, Secunderabad, Mahbubnagar and Dhone. According to the Ministry of Railways, strengthening the traction system will improve power availability for train operations and enable the route to handle increased freight traffic.
The upgraded infrastructure is also expected to facilitate the operation of Vande Bharat Express services on the section while supporting Indian Railways’ target of achieving 3,000 million tonnes of freight loading by 2029-30.
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