Five projects in southern India will cover 17 districts across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana
New Delhi : The Union Cabinet has approved eight multi-tracking railway projects across nine states at an estimated cost of ₹20,804 crore, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday.
The projects are aimed at easing congestion on busy railway routes, increasing network capacity and improving connectivity for passengers and freight movement.
Five major projects in southern India
Five of the approved projects will be implemented across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, covering 17 districts. Together, they will add around 540 km to the existing railway network.
The approved projects include:
- Arakkonam–Renigunta: Third and fourth railway lines — 77 km
- Bengaluru/Bangarpet: Third and fourth lines — 47 km
- Hosur–Omalur: Doubling of the railway track — 147 km
- Salem–Karur–Dindigul: Doubling of the railway line — 159 km
- Secunderabad (Ghatkesar)–Kazipet: Multi-tracking — 110 km
These projects are expected to improve rail capacity on some of the key routes connecting major cities and industrial and commercial centres in southern India.
Three projects in eastern and central India
The Cabinet has also cleared three major projects covering parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
These include:
- Kharagpur–Jharsuguda (Bagdehi): Fourth line
- Katni–Pendra Road: Fourth line
- Bilaspur (Uslapur)–Pendra Road: Third line
According to the Cabinet, these projects will cover 14 districts and add approximately 656 km to the existing railway network.
Focus on decongesting high-density routes
Vaishnaw said the government has adopted a broader strategy of developing at least four railway lines on heavily congested High-Density Network (HDN) routes.
The newly approved projects are part of this capacity-expansion strategy and are intended to reduce congestion, improve train operations and create additional capacity for both passenger and freight services.
Connectivity for one crore people
The railway expansion programme is expected to benefit around one crore people across the nine states by improving connectivity and strengthening links between important regions and major cities.
The projects are also aimed at helping decongest major metropolitan areas by improving railway infrastructure and increasing the capacity of existing routes.
7.4 crore tonnes of additional freight capacity
Besides passenger connectivity, the projects are expected to provide a significant boost to freight transportation.
The government estimates that the additional railway infrastructure could facilitate around 7.4 crore tonnes of additional freight movement, strengthening the role of railways in transporting coal, minerals, industrial goods and other commodities.
The multi-tracking projects are therefore expected to improve the efficiency of India’s railway network while supporting economic activity, logistics and regional connectivity across the nine states.
