The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 16 August 2023 approved seven multi-tracking projects of the Ministry of Railways at an estimated cost of about Rs 32,500 crore with central government funding.

The proposals for these multi-tracking projects will ease operations and reduce congestion, thereby enabling necessary infrastructural development on the busiest sections of Indian Railways.

The project covers 35 districts in 9 states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
These projects will add 2339 km to the existing network of Indian Railways. Apart from this, employment of 7.06 crore man-days will be available to the people of the states.
These projects include: Gorakhpur-Chhabani-Valmiki Nagar, Son Nagar-Andal Multi Tracking Project, Nergundi-Barang and Khurda Road-Vizianagaram, Mudkhed-Medchal and Mahbubnagar-Dhone, Guntur-Bibinagar, Chopan-Chunar and Samakhiali-Gandhidham.

Project benefits:

These are essential routes for transportation of various commodities like food grains, fertilisers, coal, cement, fly-ash, iron and finished steel, clinker, crude oil, limestone, edible oil etc.
The capacity addition works will result in an additional 200 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) of freight.
Being an eco-friendly and energy efficient mode of transport, Railways will help in achieving climate goals and bring down the country's logistics cost.
These projects are in line with the Prime Minister's vision of a New India, which will make the people of the region "Atmanirbhar" by creating a multi-tasking workforce in the region and enhance their employment/self-employment opportunities.
These projects are an outcome of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multi-Modal Connectivity which has been made possible through integrated planning.
The project will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services.

Development of Indian Railways:

Indian Railways is the fourth largest network in the world, spread over 1.2 lakh km in the country.
The idea of establishing a railway system was first proposed in 1832 in British India. At the time, rail travel in Britain was in its infancy.
In 1844, Lord Hardinge, the Governor-General of India, allowed private entrepreneurs to set up a railway system.
By the year 1845 two companies were formed namely "East Indian Railway Company" and "Great Indian Peninsula Railway".
On 16 April 1853, the first train in India ran between Bori Bunder, Bombay (Mumbai) and Thane, a distance of about 34 km.
In 1880 a network of about 14,500 km was developed around the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta.
In 1901, the Railway Board was formed under the guidance of the Department of Commerce and Industry.