The Union Cabinet has approved eight railway multitracking projects worth ₹20,804 crore across nine states, adding 1,196 km of new railway lines by FY 2029–30.
- The projects will increase freight capacity by 74 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and reduce congestion on busy railway routes.
- Around 6,911 villages, covering a population of about 1.08 crore, will benefit from improved connectivity.
- Eastern & Central India: ₹10,783 crore for 656 km of tracks across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
- Southern India: ₹10,021 crore for 540 km across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.
- The projects will improve connectivity to important tourist destinations and industrial areas and facilitate the movement of coal, cement, steel, automobiles, petroleum and food grains.
- The expansion supports India’s energy-efficient and lower-cost rail freight strategy by shifting more transportation from road to rail.
- The government is also quadrupling seven high-density railway corridors covering about 11,000 km, of which around 2,000 km has already been completed.
