The cabinet on Wednesday approved eight multitracking projects worth Rs 20,804 crore covering 31 districts across nine states and adding about 1,196 km to the railway network. The projects, scheduled for completion by FY30, are aimed at increasing rail capacity, easing congestion and supporting higher freight movement.
Out of the total, three projects worth Rs 10,783 crore will add around 656 km of tracks across 14 districts in five states. These include the Kharagpur-Jharsuguda fourth line, Katni-Pendra Road fourth line and Bilaspur (Uslapur)-Pendra Road third line.
The remaining five projects worth about Rs 10,021 crore will add another 540 km across 17 districts in four southern states. These include third and fourth lines between Arakkonam and Renigunta, Whitefield and Bangarapet, doubling of the Hosur-Omalur and Salem-Karur-Dindigul sections, and multitracking between Secunderabad (Ghatkesar) and Kazipet.
According to the government, the projects will improve rail connectivity to about 6,911 villages with a combined population of nearly 11 million. The additional lines will also provide smoother connectivity to major industrial and mining areas while improving access to key tourist and religious destinations, including Tirupati, Kodaikanal, Bandhavgarh, Jagannath Temple and Amarkantak.
The projects approved by the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA), which is chaired by the prime minister Narendra Modi, are expected to generate additional freight traffic of 74 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The routes are important for moving commodities such as coal, cement, iron and steel, petroleum products, fertilisers, automobiles and foodgrains.
These projects have been planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with the government saying integrated planning would improve multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency.