The Union Cabinet has approved two major railway multi-tracking (doubling) projects worth ₹6,405 crore to improve train connectivity, reduce congestion, and generate employment in Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. These projects will add a total of 318 km of railway lines—133 km between Koderma and Barkakana in Jharkhand and 185 km between Ballari and Chikjajur, covering parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The projects aim to boost the transportation of key goods such as coal, steel, cement, fertilizers, and petroleum products, and are expected to handle an additional freight load of 49 million tonnes per year.
The work is planned to be completed within three years and will create around 10.8 million human-days of employment during the construction phase. Additionally, the projects will improve connectivity to 1,408 villages, benefiting nearly 2.8 million people. Environmentally, the move to rail transport will help save 520 million litres of fuel and reduce carbon emissions by 2.6 billion kg—equivalent to planting 110 million trees. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that most of the required land is already owned by Indian Railways, minimizing land acquisition issues.
Read more: Indian Railways to Install Automatic Doors in Mumbai Trains After Tragic Accident
These projects are part of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, aimed at improving multi-modal connectivity across India. In its third term, the government has already cleared 27 railway infrastructure projects worth ₹96,311 crore, including other notable projects such as a new rail-road bridge in Kashi, new lines in Andhra Pradesh, and multiple new track lines in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. The government believes these efforts will strengthen India’s logistics network, reduce costs, and enhance the country’s export competitiveness.
