Union Cabinet Approves 4 Rail Projects Worth Rs 12,328 Cr, Gujarat Gets New Route

On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet approved four projects under the Ministry of Railways at a total cost of around Rs 12,328 crore, including a new rail line in Kutch, Gujarat, and the expansion of three key railway routes across Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, and Assam.

The new railway line in Kutch will connect Deshalpar–Hajipir–Luna and Vayor–Lakhpat, enhancing connectivity to the Rann of Kutch. The project will add 145 route km and 164 track km to Gujarat’s existing railway network and is estimated to cost Rs 2,526 crore, with completion expected within three years.

The line will facilitate transportation of salt, cement, coal, clinker, and bentonite and will connect prominent sites including Dholavira, Koteshwar Temple, Narayan Sarovar, and Lakhpat Fort through a total of 13 new railway stations.

The multi-tracking railway projects approved by the Union Cabinet include the 173 km Secunderabad (Sanathnagar)–Wadi route, slated for completion in five years with an investment of Rs 5,012 crore.

Another project is the 53 km Bhagalpur–Jamalpur third line in Bihar, which is expected to be completed in three years at a cost of around Rs 1,156 crore.

The third project involves the doubling of the 194 km Furkating–New Tinsukia rail route, with an estimated cost of Rs 3,634 crore and a completion timeline of four years.

These projects target key railway routes crucial for transporting commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, fly ash, steel, containers, fertilisers, agricultural products, and petroleum items. The capacity enhancement is expected to generate an additional 68 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum) of freight traffic.

Spanning 13 districts across Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, and Assam, the four projects will expand the Indian Railways network by approximately 565 km. Planned under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the initiatives aim to improve multi-modal connectivity and logistics efficiency** through integrated planning and stakeholder consultation.

The increased line capacity will boost mobility, optimise supply chains, and enhance operational efficiency and service reliability across the Indian Railways network. According to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), these projects are designed to strengthen logistical efficiency along critical routes for transporting coal, containers, cement, agricultural commodities, automobiles, POL, iron and steel, and other goods.

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