The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved four multi-tracking projects of the Ministry of Railways with a total investment of ₹9,450 crore, covering 410 km across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The projects include the Kharagpur-Bhadrak (Ranital) fourth line, Bhadrak-Haridaspur fourth line, Gummidipundi-Gudur third and fourth lines, and Cuttack-Paradeep (Badabandha) third and fourth lines.
Four projects to ease congestion
The Kharagpur-Bhadrak (Ranital) fourth line will cover 173 km across West Bengal and Odisha, while the Bhadrak-Haridaspur fourth line will span 75 km in Odisha.
The Gummidipundi-Gudur third and fourth lines will cover 90 km across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The Cuttack-Paradeep (Badabandha) third and fourth lines will add another 72 km in Odisha.
Together, the four projects will cover eight districts and expand the existing Indian Railways network by about 410 km.
Connectivity to 6,448 villages
The additional line capacity is expected to improve mobility, operational efficiency and service reliability while streamlining train operations and reducing congestion on busy routes.
The projects will enhance rail connectivity to 6,448 villages with a combined population of about 60 lakh. The improved connectivity is also expected to strengthen access to several tourist destinations across the four States.
Boost to freight movement
The enhanced network will improve connectivity to prominent tourist destinations, including Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park, Pulicat Lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Lord Veeraraghava Perumal Temple, Gada Kujanga Jagannath Temple and Lalitgiri.
The routes are also important for transporting coal, iron ore, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles and foodgrains. The capacity augmentation is expected to facilitate additional freight traffic of about 76 million tonnes per annum.
Lower logistics and carbon costs
The projects are expected to help reduce the country’s logistics costs while supporting the Railways’ contribution towards India’s climate goals. Greater rail freight capacity will also help shift transportation towards a more energy-efficient mode.
The capacity enhancement is projected to reduce oil consumption by 13 crore litres and lower carbon dioxide emissions by 65 crore kg. The reduction in emissions is equivalent to the environmental benefit of planting about 2.60 crore trees.