Indian Railways has approved three infrastructure projects worth ₹804 crore across Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, covering road connectivity, line doubling and freight movement.
The approvals include the rebuilding of Shastriya Road Over Bridge in Indore Yard at ₹139 crore, the 49-km Adipur-Bhuj doubling project in Gujarat at ₹493 crore, and the 3.7-km Somtane-Chikhli chord line project in Maharashtra at ₹172 crore.
In Madhya Pradesh, Railways has approved the rebuilding of Road Over Bridge No. 103-C in Indore Yard, popularly known as Shastriya Bridge.
The project is expected to improve road movement in one of Indore’s busy urban sections and strengthen rail-road connectivity.
The new bridge will be built as a four-lane Road Over Bridge with a 72-metre camel-back superstructure using PSC girders.
The project will also include a full viaduct arrangement and six-metre-wide service roads on both sides beneath the bridge.
Apart from the bridge structure, the Indore project will involve utility shifting and public infrastructure works.
Existing sewer infrastructure will be relocated and upgraded through new sewer lines, while electrical infrastructure, poles and lighting systems will also be shifted and renewed.
In Gujarat, Railways has approved the doubling of the Adipur-Bhuj section of Western Railway.
The 49-km section is part of the Gandhidham-Naliya corridor and currently operates as a single-line route.
The doubling project has been cleared as traffic on the corridor is expected to increase due to other rail projects in the region.
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These include Bhuj-Naliya gauge conversion, extension of the Naliya-Vayor line and new railway lines connecting Naliya-Jakhau, Vayor-Lakhpat and Deshalpar-Luna.
Once completed, the Adipur-Bhuj doubling project is expected to allow two additional passenger train services in each direction every day.
It will also support an additional 12 million tonnes per annum of freight movement, improving logistics and industrial connectivity in the Kutch region.
Railways said line capacity utilisation on the section is projected to reach 123 per cent by 2029-30, making capacity expansion necessary on the corridor.
In Maharashtra, Railways has approved the Somtane-Chikhli chord line on Central Railway. The 3.7-km line will connect Chikhli on the Karjat route with Somtane on the Roha route.
The project is aimed at decongesting Panvel Junction, one of the busiest railway junctions in the Mumbai region.
At present, freight trains moving between the Karjat, Jasai and Roha corridors have to enter Panvel Junction and undergo engine reversal before proceeding further.
The new chord line will allow freight trains to bypass Panvel Junction and move directly between the Karjat and Roha corridors.
Railways expects the project to reduce detention time by around 110 minutes per freight train.
The Maharashtra project is also important for freight linked to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, which handles nearly 60 per cent of India’s container traffic.
After completion, the chord line is expected to enable movement of an additional nine million tonnes per annum of traffic.
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