Cabinet greenlights INR 32,500 crore railway expansion in seven states

These seven projects will add 2,339 km to the existing railway network.

NEW DELHI — The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared seven railway projects with an estimated cost of INR 32,500 crore, which will add 2,339 km to the existing network covering states namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha and Gujarat.

The projects, which include the upgradation of the existing railway lines including their quadrupling and doubling, will facilitate capacity generation for the movement of 120 million tonnes of extra cargo and will also help travel of migrant workers and students, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The projects will receive 100 per cent funding from the Central government and connect major industrial and commercial hubs of the country.

They will help increase the existing line capacity, smoothen train operations, reduce congestion and facilitate ease of travelling and transportation, the minister said.

The details of the projects are as follows: Doubling of existing Gorakhpur Cantonment (Valmiki Nagar single line section) in Uttar Pradesh (Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Kushi Nagar) for 89.264 km, and Bihar (West Champaran) for 6.676 km.

Doubling of existing Guntur-Bibinagar single-line section in Andhra Pradesh (Guntur) for 1 km, and Telangana (Nalgonda, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri) for 139 km.

Doubling of existing Chopan-Chunar single-line section in Uttar Pradesh (Mirzapur, Sonbhadra) for 101.58 km.

Doubling between Mudkhed-Medchal and Mahbubnagar-Dhone section in Maharashtra (Nanded) for 49.15 km, Telangana (Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Medak, Wanaparthy, Jogulamba, Medchal-Malkajgiri) for 294.82 km, and Andhra Pradesh (Mahbubnagar, Kurnool and Dhone) for 73.91 km.

Quadrupling between Samakhiali and Gandhidham in Gujarat (Kutch) for 53 km.

Third line between Nergundi-Barang and Khudra Road-Vizianagaram in Odisha (Bhadrak, Jaipur, Khordha, Cuttack, and Ganjam) for 184 km, and Andhra Pradesh (Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam) for 201 km.

Son Nagar-Andal multi-tracking project in Bihar (Gaya, Aurangabad) for 132.57 km, Jharkhand (Dhanbad, Giridih, Hazaribagh, Koderma) for 201.608 km, and West Bengal (Paschim Bardhman) for 40.35 km.