New Delhi, Aug 27 (UNI) The union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today approved four major railway projects worth Rs 12,328 crore in Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, and Assam and one new rail line to connect far-flung areas of Kutch, Gujarat with an aim to enhance passenger and freight connectivity.
According to a statement here, key among these is the proposed new rail line in the Kutch region of Gujarat, connecting remote areas such as the Rann of Kutch, the Harappan archaeological site at Dholavira, Koteshwar temple, Narayan Sarovar, and Lakhpat fort.
This 145 km addition to the network, costing around Rs 2,526 crore, is expected to be completed in three years and will boost tourism while facilitating the transport of salt, cement, coal, clinker, and bentonite. The project will add 13 new stations, benefiting over 866 villages and approximately 16 lakh people, said the statement.
The Cabinet also approved multi-tracking projects including the Secunderabad (Sanathnagar)-Wadi third and fourth line (173 km) spanning Karnataka and Telangana, the Bhagalpur-Jamalpur third line (53 km) in Bihar, and the Furkating-New Tinsukia doubling (194 km) in Assam.
These projects, with completion timelines ranging from three to five years and costing between Rs 1,156 crore to Rs 5,012 crore, will enhance connectivity to over 3,100 villages and nearly 47 lakh people, including the aspirational district of Kalaburagi.
These infrastructure enhancements will increase the railway network by approximately 565 route kilometres, significantly improving operational efficiency and service reliability.
The projects will streamline freight movement of essential commodities like coal, cement, steel, fertilizers, petroleum products, and agricultural goods, with an expected boost of 68 million tonnes per annum in freight capacity.
