Cabinet clears 4 railway projects worth ₹9,450 cr, to add 410 km to network

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved four railway projects worth around ₹9,450 crore across West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.  

The projects will add about 410 km to the Indian Railways network and are scheduled for completion by 2030-31, the government said in a statement.  

The projects include a 173-km fourth line between Kharagpur and Bhadrak (Ranital), a 75-km fourth line between Bhadrak and Haridaspur, 90 km of third and fourth lines between Gummidipundi and Gudur, and 72 km of third and fourth lines between Cuttack and Paradeep (Badabandha).

 

Freight capacity

The Kharagpur-Bhadrak project has an outlay of ₹3,352 crore and a four-year completion period. It covers Paschim Medinipur in West Bengal and Baleswar and Bhadrak in Odisha. The project is expected to add 13 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight capacity and generate 5.9 million human-days of employment. 

The Bhadrak-Haridaspur fourth line will cost ₹1,583 crore. It is expected to add 29 MTPA of freight capacity, generate 26 lakh human-days of employment and save 19.39 crore kg of carbon emmission annually. 

The 90-km Gummidipundi-Gudur project will cost ₹2,229 crore. It is expected to add 21.24 MTPA of freight traffic and generate 61 lakh human-days of employment. 

The 72-km Cuttack-Paradeep project has an outlay of ₹2,286 crore and a four-year completion period. It will add 12 MTPA of freight traffic, save ₹172.97 crore in logistics costs annually and generate 49 lakh human-days of employment.

Connectivity and emissions

The Railway Ministry said the projects will improve capacity on routes carrying coal, iron ore, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles and food grains. 

"The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways," the ministry said.  

The projects cover eight districts and will improve connectivity to around 6,448 villages with a population of about 6 million.  

The ministry also said the capacity expansion will reduce oil imports by 13 crore litres and CO2 emissions by 65 crore kg, equivalent to the plantation of 2.60 crore trees.  

Cabinet also clears Bihar highway project 

The Cabinet also approved the development of the 83-km, four-lane brownfield Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa corridor on NH-22 in Bihar. The project has an outlay of ₹3,591 crore and will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). Construction is expected to take 30 months.

 

The project will cover Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi districts and include seven major bridges, three road overbridges and six vehicular underpasses. A 340-metre major bridge will be constructed across the Bagmati river.

 

The corridor is expected to reduce the travel time between Muzaffarpur and Sonbarsa from two hours to one hour. It will also decongest the existing road and reduce vehicle operating costs, according to the Cabinet briefing.

 

The project will improve connectivity to Baba Garibnath Temple in Muzaffarpur and Punaura Dham, or Mata Janki Temple, in Sitamarhi. It will also connect five PM Gati Shakti economic nodes, four social nodes and two logistics nodes.