Cabinet Approves 4 Rail Multitracking Projects Covering 8 Districts by About 410 Kms

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by PM Narendra Modi, has cleared four railway multitracking projects worth around ₹9,450 crore. These projects are expected to add nearly 410 km to Indian Railways' existing network, spanning eight districts across four states.

Cabinet Approves Four Multitracking Projects Covering Eight Districts in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh

The four approved projects are:

1. Kharagpur – Bhadrak (Ranital) 4th Line – 173 km (West Bengal and Odisha)
2. Bhadrak – Haridaspur 4th Line – 75 km (Odisha)
3. Gummidipundi – Gudur 3rd and 4th Line – 90 km (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu)
4. Cuttack – Paradeep (Badabandha) 3rd and 4th Line - 72 km (Odisha)

The Cabinet Has Approved Four Multitracking Projects Worth Rs. 9,450 crore

Adding extra tracks along these existing routes is meant to ease congestion and make train operations smoother and more reliable. Beyond just moving trains faster, the government sees this as part of a bigger push toward self-reliance in these regions, since better rail links tend to open up new jobs and self-employment opportunities for people living nearby.

Projects Are Planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan

These railway upgrades fall under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which focuses on tying together different modes of transport so that goods and people can move more efficiently across the country. The plan relies heavily on integrated planning and consultation with various stakeholders to avoid duplication and gaps in infrastructure.

Multitracking Projects Covering Eight Districts: Prominent Tourist Destinations

An interesting side benefit of these projects is improved rail access to several well-known tourist spots, including Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park, Chandipur Beach, Pulicat Lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, and heritage sites like Lalitgiri and the Jagannath Temple in Gada Kujanga.

Why These 8 District Multitracking Projects Are Important

These routes are critical for transporting goods like coal, iron ore, cement, steel, food grains, and containers, and the added capacity is expected to support an extra 76 million tonnes of freight annually. Since railways are a relatively eco-friendly transport option, this expansion is also projected to cut oil imports by around 13 crore litres and lower CO2 emissions by about 65 crore kg, roughly equal to planting 2.6 crore trees.