The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday gave nod to two multitracking projects for Indian Railways which is estimated to cost Rs 3,399 crore. The project, which will be completed up to FY30, will ensure faster transportation of both passenger and freight traffic.
“The two projects covering four districts across the states of Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 176 kms. The proposed projects are result of PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity which have been possible through integrated planning and will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services,” the statement said.
The proposed multi-tracking works will enhance connectivity to around 784 villages with a total population of nearly 2 million. These routes are critical for the transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, gypsum, fly ash, containers, agriculture commodities, and petroleum products.
It’s estimated that railways will be able to carry extra freight of about 18.4 million tonnes (MT) annually. In FY25, the national transporter carried a total of 1,617.38 MT of freight, which was 1.68% higher than the previous financial year.
Overall, these initiatives is expected to improve travel convenience, reduce logistic cost, decrease oil imports and contribute to lower CO2 emissions. “The projects will also enhance logistical efficiency by augmenting line capacity along critical routes for transportation of containers, coal, cement, agricultural commodities, and other goods. These improvements are expected to optimise supply chains, thereby facilitating accelerated economic growth,” the statement said.
In the recent months, the railways has taken up a slew of projects to add new rail lines and doubling of the existing lines. For instance, in April, the CCEA, chaired by the prime minister Narendra Modi, approved four railways projects worth Rs 18,658 crore that will increase the existing rail network by about 1,247 kms. Prior to that, the cabinet had approved 11 rail projects worth 32,584 crore in FY24. The union budget for FY26 kept the total capex estimates for Indian Railways at Rs 2.65 lakh crore, which was similar to FY25 revised estimates.