New Delhi, September 9 (APAC Media): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved three railway multitracking projects worth Rs 10,783 crore across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
The projects will add around 656 km to the railway network and cover 14 districts, helping expand capacity, ease congestion and improve the efficiency and reliability of train operations.
Three Key Multitracking Projects
The approved works include the Kharagpur-Jharsuguda (Bagdehi) fourth line, Katni-Pendra Road fourth line and Bilaspur (Uslapur)-Pendra Road third line. Planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the projects aim to improve multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency.
The expanded network will provide better connectivity to around 4,790 villages, benefiting a combined population of nearly 56 lakh. It will also strengthen access to major religious and tourism destinations, including Taratarini Temple, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Amarkantak Temple, Achanakmar Tiger Reserve and Ratanpur Mahamaya Temple.
Boost to Freight and Green Mobility
The routes are important for transporting coal, cement, iron and steel, with the projects expected to enable an additional 27 million tonnes of freight annually.
The government said the capacity expansion will help reduce logistics costs while supporting economic activity and employment.
The projects are also estimated to cut oil imports by around 12 crore litres and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 62 crore kg, equivalent to the environmental benefit of planting around 2.48 crore trees.
Also Read:Â
