Ghaziabad–Sitapur Rail Expansion Gets ₹14,926 Crore Nod from CCEA.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a ₹14,926 crore railway expansion project to add third and fourth lines between Ghaziabad and Sitapur, a move aimed at significantly boosting capacity on one of North India’s key rail corridors.

The 403-km stretch, currently a double-line route, is part of the Delhi–Guwahati High Density Network (HDN-4), linking northern and eastern regions of the country. Railway officials noted that the section is operating well beyond its designed capacity, with utilisation already at 168 per cent and projected to reach 207 per cent without intervention. The expansion is expected to ease congestion and improve both passenger and freight movement.

The upgraded corridor will pass through several important districts, including Ghaziabad, Hapur, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur. These regions host key industrial hubs such as Ghaziabad’s machinery and pharmaceutical units, Moradabad’s brassware industry, and Bareilly’s textile and engineering sectors.

To improve efficiency, the new alignment will bypass heavily congested stations like Hapur, Moradabad and Bareilly, with six new stations planned along these diversion routes. The line also connects prominent religious and tourist destinations such as Dudheshwarnath Temple, Garhmukteshwar Ganga Ghat, and Naimisharanya.

According to the Railways, the project is expected to generate an additional 35.72 million tonnes of freight traffic annually, including coal, foodgrains, fertilisers and steel. It is also projected to create employment equivalent to 274 lakh human-days, reduce logistics costs by ₹2,877.46 crore annually compared to road transport, and cut carbon emissions by about 128.77 crore kg—equivalent to planting over 5 crore trees.