Travel time from South to North to reduce as Centre approves new railway line in Madhya Pradesh

Travel time on railways between Bengaluru and Varanasi is set to reduce in the coming years, as the Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the doubling of the Gondia–Jabalpur railway line in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs 5,236 crore.

The Gondia–Jabalpur section forms part of the high-density Howrah–Mumbai corridor and the Itarsi–Varanasi route. Once the doubling of this 231-km stretch is completed, it will establish the shortest rail route connecting Varanasi with Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

The project will save approximately 292 km of travel distance and enable the introduction of over 35 additional passenger trains, including express and mail/express services, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

The construction is expected to take five years. Since the route passes through national parks, provisions have been made for construction of wildlife underpasses and fencing to ensure environmental protection, he said.

The enhanced connectivity will also benefit major pilgrim destinations, including Rameswaram, Madurai, Ayodhya Dham, Varanasi, and Prayagraj.

The Cabinet also sanctioned the construction of the third and fourth lines between Punarakh and Kiul on the Amritsar–Howrah–Delhi route (in Bihar), and between Gamharia and Chandil on the Mumbai–Howrah and Delhi line (connecting Jharkhand and West Bengal), with a combined investment of approximately Rs 3,836 crore.

These three railway multi-tracking projects together, costing around Rs 9,072 crore, will add about 307 km to the Indian Railways network across eight districts in four states: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.

The Cabinet also approved the expansion of the civil enclave at Srinagar International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs 1,677 crore. This project, spread over 73.18 acres, includes a new terminal building. Upon completion of the project, it can handle an annual capacity of 10 million passengers per annum (MPPA), Vaishnaw said.