Cabinet Approves ₹20,804 Crore Railway Projects Across Nine States

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved eight multi-tracking projects of the Ministry of Railways with a total estimated outlay of ₹20,804 crore. Spanning nine states, these infrastructure initiatives will expand the existing Indian Railways network by approximately 1,196 kilometres to ease congestion, enhance line capacity, and improve operational efficiency.

The projects, which are targeted for completion by the 2029-30 financial year, are designed to support India's growing industrial demand by adding 74 million tonnes per annum of combined freight capacity. Implemented under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the upgrades will also provide faster passenger movement and improve regional connectivity across central, eastern, southern, and south-central India.

A major portion of the approved package, valued at ₹10,021 crore, is dedicated to five multi-tracking projects covering 540 kilometres across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. These works include the construction of third and fourth lines on the 77-kilometre Arakkonam to Renigunta section and the 47-kilometre Whitefield to Bangarapet section. Additionally, the plan includes doubling the 147-kilometre Hosur to Omalur line and the 159-kilometre Salem to Karur to Dindigul line, alongside multi-tracking the 110-kilometre Secunderabad (Ghatkesar) to Kazipet route.

According to government data, these five southern projects will pass through 17 districts and directly connect approximately 2,121 villages. This expansion is expected to benefit a population of nearly 52 lakh people by improving daily mobility and economic access. Furthermore, the upgraded routes will enhance connectivity to major religious and tourist destinations in the region, including the pilgrimage hub of Tirupati and several prominent temples across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The remaining three projects, valued at ₹10,783 crore, will add 656 kilometres of tracks across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The specific works approved under this package include the Kharagpur to Jharsuguda (Bagdehi) fourth line, the Katni to Pendra Road fourth line, and the Bilaspur (Uslapur) to Pendra Road third line. These corridors are critical arteries for transporting bulk commodities, including coal, cement, iron, steel, automobiles, foodgrains, petroleum products, and fertilisers.

The capacity augmentation from these three central and eastern lines is projected to generate an additional freight traffic of 27 million tonnes per annum. The projects will cover 14 districts, benefiting about 4,790 villages with a combined population of nearly 56 lakh. Beyond industrial logistics, the routes will improve access to key ecological and cultural sites, such as the Bandhavgarh and Achanakmar Tiger Reserves, the Taratarini and Shri Khetra Jagannath temples, Amarkantak Temple, Jwaleshwar Dham, and the Ratanpur Mahamaya Temple.

The Ministry of Railways expects the transition of freight from road to rail to yield substantial environmental and economic benefits. The cumulative impact of all eight projects is projected to reduce national oil imports by approximately 20 crore litres. The three eastern and central projects alone are estimated to account for 12 crore litres of this reduction, helping lower India's dependence on imported fuel.

In terms of emissions, the total network expansion is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 104 crore kilograms, which is equivalent to the carbon absorption capacity of 4.48 crore mature trees. For the eastern and central corridors, the projected reduction stands at 62 crore kilograms of carbon dioxide, equivalent to planting 2.48 crore trees. This shift aligns with broader national goals to lower logistics costs and reduce the environmental footprint of heavy transport.

During a media briefing in New Delhi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined a broader strategy to upgrade the country's trunk routes. Vaishnaw stated that the government has decided to implement four-lining, or quadrupling, across all seven high-density railway corridors. These critical routes connect major urban centers, including Delhi to Howrah, Mumbai to Howrah, Delhi to Mumbai, Delhi to Guwahati, Delhi to Chennai, Howrah to Chennai, and Mumbai to Chennai.

These seven high-density corridors cover a total of 11,000 kilometres of the national railway network. Vaishnaw noted that four-lining work has already been completed on 2,000 kilometres of these routes. The newly approved multi-tracking projects are directly integrated into this high-density network strategy to resolve bottlenecks on heavily congested lines.

Vaishnaw also provided an update on the high-profile Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, confirming that the high-speed rail service is scheduled to commence next year. He stated that construction work on the corridor is progressing rapidly, and the initial 100-kilometre section connecting Surat to Vapi will be the first to open to the public.

All eight approved multi-tracking projects are scheduled to be completed by the financial year 2029-30. The Ministry of Railways will execute the works under the PM Gati Shakti framework, which emphasizes integrated infrastructure planning to minimize project delays. The next immediate steps involve coordinating land acquisition, environmental clearances, and detailed engineering surveys across the nine participating state governments to initiate physical construction on the designated routes.

the Ministry of Railways will begin tendering processes for the civil works, track laying, and signaling systems for the newly sanctioned lines. Progress on the high-density quadrupling and the initial Surat to Vapi bullet train section will be monitored through regular reviews ahead of their scheduled operational timelines.