Cabinet panel approves two railway projects with a cost of ₹6,798 crore

The plan includes connectivity to proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved two railway projects with a total estimated cost of ₹6,798 crore. 

The projects are — construction of a new line between Errupalem and Namburu via Amaravati covering 57 km and doubling of Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga and Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur section covering 256 km. Both these projects are planned to be completed in five years.

The new line proposal will provide direct connectivity to Amaravati — the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh and improve mobility for industries and the population, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for the Railways. The multi-tracking proposal will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections, a statement released by the Ministry of Railways said.  

The doubling of the Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga and Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur section will strengthen the connectivity to Nepal, northeast India and border areas. It will also facilitate movement of passenger trains along with goods trains resulting in the socio-economic growth of the region.

The new rail line project of Errupalem-Amaravati-Namburu traverses through NTR Vijayawada and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh and Khammam district of Telangana.

The two projects covering eight districts in three States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar will increase the existing network of the Railways by about 313 km.

Nine new stations

The new line project will provide connectivity to approximately 168 villages and about 12 lakh population with nine new stations, while the multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to two aspirational districts — Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur serving approximately 388 villages and about nine lakh population.

These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertilizer, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 31 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).

The projects are result of PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity which have been possible through integrated planning and will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services, the statement said. 

Published - October 24, 2024 09:13 pm IST