Cabinet Approves ₹12,328 Crore Railway Expansion Projects Across States

The Union Cabinet has approved four major railway infrastructure projects worth ₹12,328 crore, a significant move towards further improving Indian rail connectivity while stimulating economic growth in important states. 

The projects consist of new rail lines on the Deshalpar–Hajipir–Luna and Vayor–Lakhpat routes, the construction of a third and fourth line between Secunderabad (Sanathnagar) and Wadi, construction of a third line in the Bhagalpur–Jamalpur section, and doubling the Furkating–New Tinsukia line. 

The Ministry of Railways expects that these multi-tracking projects will facilitate major improvements in connectivity, benefitting directly about 3,108 number of villages and close to 47.34 lakh of residents, including those from Kalaburagi, India's aspirational district, with states including Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, and Assam directly benefiting from these rail expansions.

The projects have been intentionally set in place to help the tipping of essential goods, such as coal, cement, clinker, fly ash, steel, containers, fertilizers, agro-produce and petroleum products. With all the new infrastructure to move even these products, the capacity of supply chains can be improved, now even more with reduced time taken and decongested the existing lines to get there for consumers. 

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Capacity in railways on these critical corridors will support not only the growth of jobs but will provide necessary trade, business, and will connect all regions. It also shows continue support for infrastructure development in India, the government of India continues to challenge habitual luxury of indigenous labour and knowledge with rail as India turns to a knowledge economy and modernises the railways as an engine of inclusive growth and development. 

The government of India's approval of these projects will ultimately lead to significant social and economic outcomes, as it creates new explicit and concrete possibilities for communities and confirms India's credentials as an evolving logistics and connectivity hub.