Indian Railways has approved the construction of a 14.52-km third railway line between Nimpura West Outer Cabin and Midnapur in the South Eastern Railway zone at an estimated cost of Rs 440 crore. The project is aimed at adding capacity on a busy rail section that carries both passenger and freight traffic, according to PIB release.
The section is part of the High Utilisation Network (HUN-2), where train movement has increased over the years. While doubling work is already underway on the Nimpura West Outer Cabin-Gokulpur stretch, the newly approved third line is expected to further improve train operations and create additional capacity.
Project to add capacity on a busy freight corridor
According to Indian Railways, the existing section is operating at 115.71% line capacity utilisation, indicating that the route is handling more traffic than its designed capacity.
The corridor is used to transport a wide range of commodities, including coal, iron ore, manganese, containers, cement, fertilisers, petroleum products, wheat, rice, limestone, gypsum, edible oil, chemicals, stone, ballast, slag and ash. The route currently handles nearly 23.80 million tonnes of freight every year.
With the additional line, Railways expects smoother train operations by reducing congestion and providing greater flexibility for both passenger and freight services.
Higher freight movement expected after completion
Once completed, the third line is expected to support an additional freight loading of 3.52 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
Railways said the project is expected to improve the movement of essential commodities, reduce operational bottlenecks and strengthen connectivity for industries that depend on this route for transporting raw materials and finished goods.
The approval is part of Indian Railways’ ongoing efforts to increase capacity on heavily used routes, where rising passenger and freight demand has put pressure on existing infrastructure. The additional line is expected to improve network efficiency and support future traffic growth.
