Union Cabinet clears ₹13,041 crore rail and road projects
What's the story
The Union Cabinet has approved five infrastructure projects worth ₹13,041 crore. The projects include four multitracking railway projects at an estimated cost of ₹9,450 crore. They are Kharagpur-Bhadrak (Ranital) fourth line, Bhadrak-Haridaspur fourth line, Gummidipundi-Gudur third and fourth lines, and Cuttack-Paradeep (Badabandha) third and fourth lines. These initiatives will expand the Indian Railways' network by approximately 410km across eight districts in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Project details
Railway projects on Howrah-Chennai route
The first three railway projects are part of the Howrah-Chennai High Density Network route. They involve adding third and fourth lines on key sections.
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "From Howrah to Chennai, we will ultimately have a complete quadrupled, four-line route."
The three projects on the Howrah-Chennai route will help create a continuous four-line corridor between Howrah and Chennai, allowing railways to operate more trains while improving freight movement and easing maintenance.
Project impact
Kharagpur-Bhadrak section
The Cabinet also approved a fourth line on the 173-km Kharagpur-Bhadrak (Ranital) section at a cost of ₹3,352 crore.
The project will include two mega bridges and is expected to add about 13 million tons of annual freight capacity.
It will save around ₹466 crore in logistics costs annually and generate 59 lakh human-days of employment.
It will also improve access to tourist and religious destinations, including Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park and Chandipur Beach.
Project details
Bhadrak-Haridaspur section
The Cabinet also approved a fourth line on the 75-km Bhadrak-Haridaspur section at an outlay of ₹1,583 crore.
The project will include two mega bridges and is expected to add 29 million tons of annual freight capacity.
It will save ₹433 crore in logistics costs annually and generate 26 lakh human-days of employment.
Construction of third and fourth lines on the 90-km Gummidipundi-Gudur section at a cost of ₹2,229 crore was also approved.
Project details
Projects in line with PM Modi's vision of 'New India'
The railway projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a "New India." They aim to make regions self-reliant through comprehensive development and improved employment opportunities.
"These projects are planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity and logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. These projects will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods, and services," the government said.