Cabinet Approves ₹6,456 Crore for New Rail Projects in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.

Recently, the Cabinet approved three major railway projects worth nearly ₹6,500 crore, set to enhance connectivity across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. These projects, expected to be completed by around 2028-29, will expand the national rail network by approximately 300 route kilometers (RKMs).

Railways, IT, and I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw detailed the projects, which include two new rail lines and one multi-tracking initiative.

The first project involves laying a new line between Jamshedpur and Asansol, connecting Purulia with an additional 121 RKM. This ₹2,170 crore project will bolster connectivity between Jharkhand and West Bengal and is expected to enhance crucial trunk routes such as Delhi-Howrah and Howrah-Mumbai. It will facilitate the transportation of coal and iron ore to steel plants at Burnpur and Durgapur, as well as the movement of finished steel.

The second project focuses on doubling the tracks between Sardega in Sundargarh district and Bhalumuda in Raigarh district, covering 37 km at a cost of ₹1,360 crore. This improvement aims to enhance connectivity between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

The third project involves multi-tracking between Bargarh Road and Nawapara Road, covering 138 RKM with an estimated cost of ₹2,926 crore. This initiative will benefit two key districts in Odisha-Bargarh and Nawapara-and is expected to improve accessibility to these areas.

The new rail lines are projected to connect approximately 1,300 villages and serve a population of about 11 lakh, while the multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to another 1,300 villages, impacting around 19 lakh people.

Vaishnaw highlighted that the capacity expansion will lead to an additional 45 million tonnes of freight traffic annually and reduce CO2 emissions by 240 crore kg, equivalent to planting 9.7 crore trees.

HBL