On 19 August 2026, the Union Cabinet approved infrastructure projects worth over ₹13,000 crore to strengthen railway and road connectivity.
- Railway projects: Four multitracking projects worth ₹9,450 crore were approved across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
- Railway expansion: The projects will add around 410 km to the railway network across 8 districts.
- Beneficiaries: Improved connectivity to nearly 6,448 villages with a combined population of about 60 lakh.
- Freight capacity: Expected to facilitate an additional 76 million tonnes of freight traffic annually.
- Key benefits: Reduced congestion, logistics costs and fuel consumption, along with improved passenger and freight movement.
- Environmental benefit: Expected to save around 13 crore litres of oil and reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 65 crore kg.
- Bihar NH-22 project: The Cabinet approved four-laning of the 82.578-km Muzaffarpur–Sitamarhi–Sonbarsa section of NH-22.
- Cost: ₹3,590.73 crore, to be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).
- Importance: The highway will improve connectivity between Muzaffarpur and the India-Nepal border at Sonbarsa, reduce travel time and boost trade, tourism and economic activity.
- Major structures: The project includes 7 major bridges, 3 railway overbridges and 2 flyovers.
- The railway projects are aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for integrated multimodal connectivity.
