The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved two railway multi-tracking projects covering parts of West Bengal and Jharkhand with a total estimated cost of ₹4,474 crore.
The projects include the construction of the Sainthia-Pakur fourth line and the Santragachi-Kharagpur fourth line, aimed at expanding railway capacity and easing congestion on key routes.
According to an official release, the projects will add around 192 Km to the existing Indian Railways network and are expected to be completed by 2030-31.
The proposed multi-tracking works will pass through five districts across West Bengal and Jharkhand, improving rail connectivity and operational efficiency along these rail corridors.
The capacity expansion is expected to benefit about 5,652 villages with a population of roughly 147 lakh people, enhancing mobility for both passengers and freight.
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The projects are planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity & logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations, according to the release.
The additional rail capacity will streamline train operations and improve service reliability on these routes.
Besides passenger movement, the corridors play an important role in transporting commodities such as coal, stone, dolomite, cement, slag, gypsum, iron and steel, foodgrains, petroleum products and containers.
The upgraded capacity is expected to enable additional freight movement of 31 million tonnes per annum.
The projects will also improve connectivity to several tourist destinations including Bolpur-Shantiniketan, Nandikeshwari Temple, Tarapith, Patachitra Gram, Dhadika Forest, Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary and Rameshwar Kund.
The projects are expected to save around 6 crore litres of oil and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 28 crore kilograms, which the release said is equivalent to planting around 1 crore trees.
