The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved eight railway multitracking projects worth a combined Rs 20,804 crore across nine states, adding about 1,196 km to the Indian Railways network and expanding capacity on important passenger and freight routes. The projects are planned for completion by 2029-30.
The approvals include five projects worth around Rs 10,021 crore across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana. The works will cover 17 districts and are expected to improve rail connectivity to about 2,121 villages with a combined population of approximately 52 lakh, according to the government press release cited by Economic Times.
The South India projects comprise the 77-km Arakkonam-Renigunta third and fourth lines, the 47-km Whitefield-Bangarapet third and fourth lines, the 147-km Hosur-Omalur doubling project, the 159-km Salem-Karur-Dindigul doubling project and 110 km of multitracking between Secunderabad, including Ghatkesar, and Kazipet.
The approved works are expected to increase line capacity, ease congestion and improve operational efficiency and service reliability. The routes are also used to transport coal, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles, food grains, petroleum products and fertilisers. The additional infrastructure is expected to support incremental freight movement of about 47 million tonnes per annum.
Three further multitracking projects worth Rs 10,783 crore were approved across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. These projects will cover 14 districts and add around 656 km to the railway network. They are also scheduled for completion by 2029-30 and are expected to support incremental freight movement of approximately 27 million tonnes per annum.
The second group of projects includes routes considered important for the movement of coal, cement, iron and steel. The capacity expansion is intended to reduce congestion and improve operational efficiency and reliability on these corridors.
The projects have been planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which is intended to coordinate infrastructure planning and improve multimodal connectivity. Following the announcement, shares of railway-linked companies including IRCTC, Ircon International, Titagarh Rail Systems, RVNL and IRFC gained during Thursday’s trading session, with some stocks rising by more than 3%.
The approved railway works will now move towards implementation, with the government’s stated completion target set for 2029-30.
