Cabinet approves four multitracking projects covering eight Districts in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, increasing the existing network of Indian Railways by about 410 Kms

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved four railway multi-tracking projects covering eight districts across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, with an estimated cost of Rs. 9,450 crore. Scheduled for completion by 2030-31, the projects will expand the Indian Railways network by approximately 410 kilometres across routes such as Kharagpur–Bhadrak, Bhadrak–Haridaspur, Gummidipundi–Gudur, and Cuttack–Paradeep. Planned under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the initiative aims to enhance line capacity, reduce congestion, improve multi-modal logistics, and support the transportation of bulk commodities like coal, iron ore, and food grains, generating an additional freight traffic capacity of 76 MTPA.