Indian Railways: 68 projects worth over 92,000 crore underway in Uttar Pradesh, Ashwini Vaishnaw tells LS

The Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that 68 railway infrastructure projects are currently underway in Uttar Pradesh, at various stages of planning, approval, and construction as of April 1.

The Union government is overseeing a comprehensive railway development program in Uttar Pradesh, encompassing 68 infrastructure projects, including 16 new lines, three gauge conversions, and 49 doubling projects. These initiatives cover a total length of 5,874 km and entail an investment of Rs 92,001 crore.

As of March 2024, 1,313 km of this network has been commissioned, with an expenditure of Rs 28,366 crore.

“As on 01.04.2024, total 68 railway infrastructure Projects (16 New Lines, 3 Gauge Conversion and 49 Doubling), of total length of 5,874 km costing Rs 92,001 crore falling fully or partly in Uttar Pradesh are in planning, approval or construction stages, out of which 1,313 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs 28,366 crore has been incurred up to March, 2024,” the railway minister’s response read.

In response to queries from BJP MP Arun Kumar Sagar regarding the construction of a new railway line from Farrukhabad to Pilibhit, covering key rural areas such as Shahjahanpur, Farrukhabad, Lakhimpur Khiri, Badaun, and Pilibhit, Railway Minister Vaishnaw provided an update. The survey for this proposed line, spanning 158 km and estimated to cost Rs 4,168 crore, was completed in 2018-19. However, the project could not proceed at that time due to low traffic projections.

The minister outlined the current status of the railway infrastructure projects: of the 16 new line projects, totaling 1,740 km and costing Rs 29,156 crore, 297 km have been commissioned with an expenditure of Rs 8,672 crore. Three gauge conversion projects, covering 261 km and costing Rs 2,453 crore, are underway, with Rs 26 crore spent so far.

Additionally, 49 doubling projects, totaling 3,873 km and costing Rs 60,392 crore, are in progress. To date, 1,016 km of doubling projects have been commissioned, with an expenditure of Rs 19,668 crore.