A cabinet meeting was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Three railway multitracking projects were approved at the meeting. A total of ₹10,783 crore will be spent on these projects.
Under these projects, around 656 km of railway lines will be added across 14 districts in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Around 56 lakh people in approximately 4,790 villages are expected to benefit from improved rail connectivity.
The projects include the construction of a fourth line between the Kharagpur-Jharsuguda rail section. A fourth line will also be built on the Katni-Pendra Road section. Meanwhile, a third line will be constructed on the Bilaspur (Uslapur)-Pendra Road section.
2.7 crore tonnes of additional freight will be carried
These projects will create an additional freight capacity of approximately 2.7 crore tons annually. This will help transport raw materials to industries and finished goods to markets. It could also benefit in reducing freight transportation costs.
Oil imports and carbon emissions will decrease
The government has touted railways as an environmentally sound and energy-efficient mode of transport. The new rail lines will help increase the railways’ share in freight and passenger transport.
According to government estimates, these projects could save approximately 12 crore liters of fuel annually, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 62 crore kilograms.
The government has described this reduction as equivalent to planting approximately 2.48 crore trees. This is expected to help achieve the country’s climate goals and reduce logistics costs.
