The Union Cabinet has approved four major railway infrastructure projects worth Rs 12,328 crore, spread across Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and
Assam, in a push to strengthen both passenger and freight connectivity. The projects, which will expand the railway network by 565 km, are expected to directly benefit more than 50 lakh people, create 251 lakh person-days of employment during construction, and support India’s climate goals by reducing oil imports and carbon emissions. New lines in Gujarat The Deshalpar–Hajipir–Luna and Vayor–Lakhpat new line project in Gujarat, costing Rs 2,526 crore, will add 145 km of track, covering 866 villages and benefitting about 16 lakh people. The line will also connect important cultural and heritage sites such as Dholavira (a Harappan city), Koteshwar temple, Narayan Sarovar, and Lakhpat fort. It is expected to improve the transport of commodities such as salt, coal, cement, clinker, and bentonite. Multi-tracking to ease congestion Three multi-tracking projects have also been cleared to enhance efficiency:
- Secunderabad (Sanathnagar)–Wadi 3rd and 4th line (173 km; Rs 5,012 crore; five years)
- Bhagalpur–Jamalpur 3rd line (53 km; Rs 1,156 crore; three years)
- Furkating–New Tinsukia doubling (194 km; Rs 3,634 crore; four years)
These will cover 3,108 villages, benefit around 47 lakh people including residents of one Aspirational District (Kalaburagi), and ease congestion on existing busy routes.
Economic and environmental benefits
According to government estimates, the projects will allow Indian Railways to carry an additional 68 million tonnes of freight annually, particularly coal, steel, cement, fertilisers, agricultural produce, automobiles and petroleum products.
The capacity expansion is projected to cut 56 crore litres of oil imports annually and reduce 360 crore kg of CO₂ emissions — the equivalent of planting 14 crore trees. The initiatives are also aligned with the PM Gati Shakti plan, which focuses on creating an integrated and efficient logistics backbone for the country.
