Cabinet Approves ₹6,800 Crore Railway Projects in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

The Union Cabinet has approved two major railway projects worth nearly ₹6,800 crore in BJP ally-governed states, aiming to boost connectivity in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The projects include rail connectivity to Amravati, Andhra Pradesh’s upcoming capital, and a 256-km line doubling in Bihar, enhancing a trade corridor to Nepal.

The Amravati rail project, estimated at ₹2,245 crore, will connect the new capital with cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata, supporting both regional connectivity and access to local religious sites such as Amaralingeswara Swamy Temple and Amaravati Stupa. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the simultaneous development of the city and rail infrastructure, contrasting it with Gandhinagar, Gujarat’s capital, which received rail connectivity decades later.

The second project, a ₹4,543 crore line doubling in North Bihar’s Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga and Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur sections, aims to facilitate trade with Nepal, linking regions from North India to the Northeast and Eastern coast ports. The line will run along the Indo-Nepal border and enhance access to Nepal’s Inland Container Depot in Birgunj, improving trade routes and connections to cities like Ayodhya, Janakpur, and Kathmandu.

Vaishnaw emphasized the developmental focus of the projects, dismissing suggestions of political motivation. Both projects are expected to be completed within four years, with infrastructure like a 3-km bridge over the Krishna River also planned.

The Cabinet also announced a ₹1,000 crore venture capital fund to support 30-35 startups in India’s growing space sector, currently valued at ₹70,000 crore. The fund, managed by a professional fund manager in line with SEBI guidelines, aims to attract further investment and accelerate development in space technology, creating a multiplier effect through capital infusion.

HBL