Cabinet approves Rs 11,169 Cr for 4 key railway projects

New Delhi, Jul 31: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved four railway infrastructure projects worth approximately Rs 11,169 crore. The projects aim to enhance capacity and operational efficiency across critical rail corridors.

The approved projects include:

1. Itarsi–Nagpur 4th line
2. Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)–Parbhani doubling
3. Aluabari Road–New Jalpaiguri 3rd and 4th lines
4. Dangoaposi–Jaroli 3rd and 4th lines

Together, these multi-tracking projects span around 574 km and cover 13 districts across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand.

They are expected to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and support seamless movement of goods and passengers. Planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the projects will improve multimodal connectivity and benefit approximately 2,309 villages with a population of over 43 lakh. Once operational, they will enable additional freight capacity of nearly 96 million tonnes annually and support key industries such as coal, cement, petroleum, and agriculture. The projects are also expected to reduce fuel imports by 16 crore litres and cut carbon emissions by 515 crore kilograms, equivalent to planting 20 crore trees, supporting India’s environmental and climate goals.