The Union Cabinet has approved four new railway multi-tracking projects valued at over ₹9,450 crore, which will add 410 km of track in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, as part of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan. These upgrades are designed to alleviate congestion on key freight and passenger corridors, significantly boost annual cargo movement by 76 million tonnes, and contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing oil imports and carbon emissions.

The Union Cabinet has approved four new railway multi-tracking projects valued at over ₹9,450 crore, which will add 410 km of track in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, as part of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan. These upgrades are designed to alleviate congestion on key freight and passenger corridors, significantly boost annual cargo movement by 76 million tonnes, and contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing oil imports and carbon emissions.

The Union Cabinet has approved four new railway multi-tracking projects valued at over ₹9,450 crore, which will add 410 km of track in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, as part of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan. These upgrades are designed to alleviate congestion on key freight and passenger corridors, significantly boost annual cargo movement by 76 million tonnes, and contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing oil imports and carbon emissions.

 

 

The recent Union Cabinet approvals for four railway projects to the tune of ₹9,450 crore are a welcome relief for long-distance rail commuters in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. This also comes at a time when the railway ministry has been doubling down on safety fencing across the country.

The PM-chaired Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved four railway projects on August 19. These span eight districts across four states, and the construction is expected to be complete by 2030–31.

The projects are:

  • Kharagpur–Bhadrak (Ranital) fourth line covering 173 km in West Bengal and Odisha
  • Bhadrak–Haridaspur fourth line of 75 km in Odisha
  • Gummidipundi–Gudur third and fourth line stretching 90 km across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
  • Cuttack–Paradeep (Badabandha) third and fourth line of 72 km in Odisha

Together, they will add 410km to the Indian Railways network. According to the Centre, when the projects become active, they will connect roughly 6,448 villages, home to nearly 60 lakh people.

These additional lines, developed under the PM‑Gati Shakti National Master Plan, are expected to ease congestion on some of the busiest freight and passenger corridors in eastern and southern India. There are also tourist sites such as Bhitarkanika National Park, Chandipur Beach and Pulicat Lake along these routes. However, freight remains the core focus.

The railways says it expects the expanded capacity to aid them in moving an additional 76 million tonnes of cargo annually, mainly coal, iron ore, cement, steel, containers, automobiles and food grains.

Rail transport consumes less energy per tonne‑kilometre than road freight. So, the Centre expects these projects to cut oil imports by around 13 crore litres and lower carbon dioxide emissions by about 65 crore kilograms each year, a reduction it says "is equivalent to plantation of 2.60 crore trees."

Safety fencing along 19,700km of tracks

Apart from the network expansion, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently revealed in the Lok Sabha that about 19,700 km of safety fencing was installed along tracks. These included sections in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, primarily to prevent trespassing by cattle, pedestrians and small vehicles.

Vaishnaw also stressed how railways took steps against stone‑pelting on trains, including legal action against offenders, sensitisation drives for train‑escorting staff, coordination with state police through State Level Security Committees, and community outreach programmes such as Operation SATHI.

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