Three large railroad infrastructure projects with a total value of about ₹23,437 crore are approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Narendra Modi. The projects will help greatly to augment the capacity and efficiency of the Indian Railways by adding third and fourth railway lines in crucial routes.
The authorized ones are NagdaMathura, GuntakalWadi, and BurhwalSitapur. All these multi-tracking projects will expand the already existing trailways to a range of about 901 kilometers serving 19 districts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
The projects are in line with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which is geared toward enhancing multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency. This increased rail capacity should help decongest routes and enhance the reliability of the service provided by trains on these routes as well as streamline operations of trains across the routes.
In the development, it will be benefiting close to 4,161 villages with a total population of close to 83 lakh people. It will also enhance the attractiveness of major tourist and religious attractions which include Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ranthambore National Park, Vrindavan and Naimisharanya.
The projects will also enhance transportation of major commodities (by freight) such as coal, cement, foodgrains, fertilisers, and iron ore. The capacity increase is expected to accommodate an extra freight transit of 60 million tonnes/ per year.
The officials underscored that the projects would also help sustain the environment by decreasing the imported oil and reducing the number of carbon emissions. These upgrades of the railways are anticipated to cut down fuel use by 37 crore litres, and lower CO₂ emissions estimated to be equivalent to planting almost seven crore trees in support of the wider Indian climate objectives.