Cabinet clears ₹11,169 crore for railway multitracking across six states

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved four major railway multitracking projects totalling ₹11,169 crore across 13 districts in six states. The approved routes are the Itarsi–Nagpur fourth line, Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)–Parbhani doubling, Aluabari Road–New Jalpaiguri third and fourth lines, and Dangoaposi–Jaroli third and fourth lines.

574-km track addition to benefit 4.4 million people

The projects will collectively add 574 kilometres to the national rail network and improve connectivity for approximately 2,309 villages with a combined population of about 4.4 million.

“These are essential routes for transporting commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, gypsum, fly ash, containers, agricultural produce, and petroleum products. The capacity augmentation will allow for an additional 95.91 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight traffic,” the Cabinet said in its statement.

Lower emissions, cut oil imports, save logistics costs

Positioned as a sustainable alternative, the projects are expected to reduce India’s logistics costs by ₹1,200 crore, cut oil imports by 160 million litres, and lower CO₂ emissions by 5.15 billion kg — equivalent to the environmental benefit of planting 2 billion trees.

The enhanced track capacity is also expected to significantly improve mobility, operational efficiency, and service reliability for Indian Railways, streamlining operations and alleviating congestion on key freight corridors.

Itarsi–Nagpur line: largest project, high-density corridor

Of the four, the Itarsi–Nagpur fourth line is the largest, with an estimated cost of ₹5,451 crore. It spans 297 kilometres and forms part of the Delhi–Chennai High-Density Network while intersecting the Mumbai–Howrah High-Density Network at Nagpur.

“This project will enable faster and more efficient movement of both passenger and goods traffic in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways and Information and Broadcasting.

The Itarsi–Nagpur section will include 37 stations, 36 major bridges, 415 minor bridges, 2 rail overbridges (ROBs), 74 rail underbridges (RUBs), 4 tunnels, and 2 additional ROBs. The project is expected to facilitate 10 million tonnes of additional cargo.

The Dangoaposi–Jaroli third and fourth line project, covering 43 kilometres at a cost of ₹1,752 crore, spans parts of Odisha and Jharkhand. It will connect iron ore mines to steel production hubs and is expected to play a crucial role in meeting India’s 300-million-tonne annual steel production target, Vaishnaw said.