Centre approves Rs 36,000 cr railway projects in one go

Ahead of the announcement of Lok Sabha poll date, the Centre on Thursday approved several railways projects worth Rs 36,000 crore including Mumbai urban transport project.

Claiming that this was the first time the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the such a massive projects in one go, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said these projects would help to provide better commuting experience to railway passengers.

The CCEA chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Phase-IIIA of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project with the estimated cost of Rs 30,849 crore with completion cost at Rs 33,690 crore.

The project will include the introduction of air-conditioned coaches with automatic doors to improve comfort level and safety of commuters, said a statement.

The CCEA also approved the construction of a third railway line between Narayangarh in West Bengal and Bhadrak in Odisha. The new 155-km railway line will come up at an expenditure of Rs 1,866.31 crore and would be completed by 2023-24.

Last week, the Railway ministry also approved the installation of 350 escalators in various railway stations.

The poll date for Lok Sabha elections likely to be announced in a couple of days and code of conduct will come into force moment after the announcement of the date.