Railways to add tracks on high-density routes handling 41% of traffic: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
The railways is expanding track capacity on high-density routes to ease congestion, run more trains and reduce travel time across the network, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Vaishnaw shared a video showing a map of seven key railway corridors that together handle around 41 per cent of the country's rail traffic.
The map highlights existing four-line sections, sanctioned track expansion projects and routes where detailed project preparation is underway. The focus is on some of the busiest rail links, including the Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Howrah and Mumbai-Chennai corridors, among others.
The expansion is aimed at increasing line capacity on heavily congested routes, allowing the railways to operate more trains and improve journey speeds. The projects are part of efforts to strengthen infrastructure on high-density routes that carry a significant share of passenger and freight traffic.
The railways has been focusing on adding additional tracks, upgrading existing infrastructure and removing bottlenecks on busy corridors to improve overall network capacity.
The expansion of high-density routes is also expected to help improve the movement of freight and passenger trains by reducing congestion and allowing more efficient scheduling.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved 4 railway multitracking projects across eight Districts in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The projects worth Rs 9,450 crore will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 410 kilometers, according to an official statement on August 19.
Proposed Railway multitracking projects
Kharagpur – Bhadrak (Ranital) 4th Line – 173 km (West Bengal and Odisha)
Bhadrak – Haridaspur 4th Line – 75 km (Odisha)
Gummidipundi – Gudur 3rd and 4th Line – 90 km (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu)
Cuttack – Paradeep (Badabandha) 3rd and 4th Line - 72 km (Odisha)
These projects are expected to be completed by 2030-31.
These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion. The projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of a New India, which will make people of the region 'Atmanirbhar' by way of comprehensive development in the area, which will enhance their employment opportunities. The proposed multi-tracking projects will also boost connectivity to approximately 6,448 villages, which have a population of about 60 lakh.
PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan
The projects are planned on the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with a focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity & logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. These projects will provide seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods, and services.
The projects are expected to improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations across the country, including Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park, Maa Bhadrakali temple, Maa Dhamarai temple, Panchalingeswar Temple, Talsari–Udaypur and Chandipur Beach, Pulicat Lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Lord Veeraraghava Perumal Temple, Gada Kujanga Jagannath Temple, Sarala Temple, Dhabaleswar Temple, Lalitgiri (a Buddhist site), etc.
The proposed projects are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, iron ore, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles, food grains, etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 76 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). The Railways being an environment-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimising logistics costs of the country, reduce oil import (~13 Crore Litres) and lower CO2 emissions (~65 Crore Kg), which is equivalent to the plantation of 2.60 crore.
