Cabinet approves three railway projects worth Rs 9,072 crore covering 8 districts in four states

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved three Railway ministry projects with a total cost of approximately 9,072 crore.

The three projects include the doubling of the Gondia-Jabalpur section and the laying of the third and fourth lines between Punarakh-Kiul and Gamharia-Chandil sections.

The government said that these projects covering eight districts across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand will increase the existing network of the Indian Railways by about 307 km.

"The proposed multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approximately 5,407 villages which have a population of about 98 lakhs," an official statement said.

It added, "The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion." The Railway ministry said the projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a new India which will make people of the region 'Atmanirbhar' by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/ self-employment opportunities.

Outlining the benefits, the statement said, "The projects are planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity and logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. These projects will provide seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods and services." It added, "The proposed capacity enhancement will improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations across the country, including Kachnar Shiv Temple (Jabalpur), Kanha National Park (Balaghat), Gangulpara Dam and Waterfall, Pench National Park, Dhuandhar waterfall, Bargi Dam, Gomji-Somji temple, Chandil Dam, Dalma Hill Top, Hesakocha Waterfall, Raijama Ghati, Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, etc." Since these projects are on essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, steel, iron ore, cement, ballast and stone chips, fly ash, fertilisers, limestone, manganese, dolomite, foodgrains, POL etc, the Ministry said that the capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 52 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).

"The Railways, being an environment-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimising logistics cost of the country, reducing oil import (6 crore litres) and lowering CO2 emissions (30 crore kg), which is equivalent to the plantation of one crore trees," the statement said.