NEW DELHI : Cabinet on Wednesday approved railway and highway projects worth over Rs 13,000 crore across five states, aimed at expanding rail capacity and improving road connectivity.
Four railway multitracking projects connecting Chennai to Howrah at an estimated cost of Rs 9,450 crore, alongside the Rs 3,590.73-crore four-laning of the Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of National Highway-22 in Bihar are approved.
Together, the projects entail an investment of about Rs 13,041 crore.
“Cargo demand in the country is rising by at least 10 percent per annum, which will lead to growth across trucks, trains, ships and air routes,” said Union Minister of Railways, IT and information and broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Rail network to expand by 410 km
The four railway projects, covering eight districts across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, will add around 410 km to the existing railway network and are scheduled to be completed by 2030-31.
The projects include the 173-km fourth line between Kharagpur and Bhadrak (Ranital), the 75-km fourth line between Bhadrak and Haridaspur, and the 90-km third and fourth lines between Gummidipundi and Gudur.
The fourth project involves construction of third and fourth lines on the 72-km Cuttack-Paradeep (Badabandha) section in Odisha.
The capacity expansion is expected to generate additional freight traffic of around 76 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), according to the government. The routes are used for transporting coal, iron ore, cement, steel, automobiles, containers and food grains.
The expansion is also expected to reduce oil consumption by around 13 crore litres and carbon dioxide emissions by about 65 crore kg, according to the Cabinet release.
Bihar gets Rs 3,591-crore highway project
Separately, the CCEA approved four-laning of the 82.58-km Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa section of NH-22 in Bihar at a capital cost of Rs 3,590.73 crore.
The project will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) and will improve connectivity between the India-Nepal border at Sonbarsa and Muzaffarpur, which connects to NH-27, part of the East-West Corridor.
The project includes seven major bridges, including a 340-metre bridge over the Bagmati river, three railway overbridges and two flyovers.
