Cabinet Approves Three Railway Multitracking Projects Worth Rs 10,783 Crore

New Delhi, Sep 9 (KNN) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved three multitracking projects of the Ministry of Railways with a total estimated cost of Rs. 10,783 crore, covering 14 districts across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The approved projects include the Kharagpur–Jharsuguda (Bagdehi) 4th Line, Katni–Pendra Road 4th Line and Bilaspur (Uslapur)–Pendra Road 3rd Line. The projects are planned for completion by 2029-30.

The projects will add about 656 km to the existing Indian Railways network and enhance connectivity to around 4,790 villages with a combined population of about 56 lakh.

The multitracking works are planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with a focus on multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency. The increased line capacity is expected to improve operational efficiency, service reliability and reduce congestion.

The routes are also important for transporting commodities such as coal, cement, iron and steel. The capacity augmentation is expected to generate additional freight traffic of around 27 million tonnes per annum.

The projects are also expected to reduce oil consumption by around 12 crore litres and CO2 emissions by about 62 crore kg, equivalent to plantation of around 2.48 crore trees.

(KNN Bureau)