New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved four railway multitracking projects at an estimated cost of ₹9,450 crore across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, adding about 410 km to the Indian Railways network.
The projects cover eight districts across the four states and are aimed at increasing line capacity, easing congestion and improving the movement of passenger and freight trains on some of the country’s important railway corridors.
The approved projects include the 173-km Kharagpur-Bhadrak (Ranital) fourth line at an estimated cost of ₹3,352 crore and the 75-km Bhadrak-Haridaspur fourth line at ₹1,583 crore.
The Cabinet has also approved third and fourth lines on the 90-km Gummidipundi-Gudur section at an estimated cost of ₹2,229 crore, along with third and fourth lines on the 72-km Cuttack-Paradeep (Badabandha) section at a cost of ₹2,286 crore.
Three of the projects – Kharagpur-Bhadrak, Bhadrak-Haridaspur and Gummidipundi-Gudur – will strengthen capacity along sections of the Howrah-Chennai railway route. The Cuttack-Paradeep project will improve capacity on the railway corridor serving the Paradeep port region in Odisha.
According to the government, the additional railway capacity created through the four projects is expected to facilitate around 76 million tonnes of additional freight traffic annually.
The projects are also expected to improve rail connectivity for around 6,448 villages with a population of about 60 lakh.
The multitracking works are targeted for completion by 2030-31 and are expected to improve operational efficiency and service reliability by reducing congestion on heavily used sections of the railway network.
The government estimates that the projects could reduce oil imports by around 13 crore litres and cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 65 crore kg by enabling greater movement of freight and passengers through rail.
The approvals form part of Indian Railways’ continuing programme to expand capacity on high-density routes by adding additional tracks, particularly on corridors carrying a mix of passenger and freight traffic.
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