India's Rail Network Gets a ₹11,169 Crore Boost

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved four major multi-tracking railway projects valued at ₹11,169 crore, aimed at enhancing rail connectivity and capacity across six states.

Together, these projects will expand the Indian Railways network by approximately 574 km, directly benefiting around 2,309 villages with a combined population of 43.6 lakh. The approved corridors are:

Itarsi–Nagpur fourth line (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra), Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)–Parbhani doubling (Maharashtra), Aluabari Road–New Jalpaiguri third and fourth lines (West Bengal), Dangoaposi–Jaroli third and fourth lines (Odisha, Jharkhand)

Targeting high-density routes and mineral-rich regions, the projects will enhance the transportation of coal, cement, clinker, fly ash, containers, agricultural produce, and petroleum products. Once operational, these upgrades are expected to generate an additional 95.91 million tonnes of freight traffic annually.

The projects are also poised to deliver significant environmental benefits, including an estimated reduction in oil imports by 160 million litres and CO₂ emissions by 5.15 billion kg—equivalent to the environmental impact of planting 200 million trees—supporting India’s climate and sustainability goals.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.