The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved four major multi-tracking projects of the Ministry of Railways, with a total cost of ₹18,658 crore. These projects span 15 districts across Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, expanding the Indian Railways network by approximately 1247 km.

Approved Projects:

1. Sambalpur – Jarapda (3rd & 4th Line)
2. Jharsuguda – Sason (3rd & 4th Line)
3. Kharsia – Naya Raipur – Parmalkasa (5th & 6th Line)
4. Gondia – Balharshah (Doubling)

These critical infrastructure upgrades will ease congestion, enhance mobility, and improve service reliability across some of the busiest railway corridors. The projects are aligned with PM Gati Shakti’s National Master Plan for multimodal connectivity and support the Prime Minister's vision of a self-reliant India (Atmanirbhar Bharat).

Collectively, the projects will create seamless connectivity for passengers and freight, supporting regional development. Nineteen new stations will be constructed, enhancing connectivity to approximately 3350 villages and benefitting over 47.25 lakh people, including two Aspirational Districts—Gadchiroli and Rajnandgaon.

The Kharsia–Naya Raipur–Parmalkasa line will directly connect new areas like Baloda Bazar, fostering industrial growth including potential cement plants.

These routes are vital for transporting key commodities such as coal, iron ore, steel, fertilizer, cement, limestone, and agricultural products. The capacity enhancement is expected to handle additional freight traffic of 88.77 MTPA.

Environmentally, these projects will help reduce oil imports by 95 crore litres and cut CO₂ emissions by 477 crore kg—equivalent to planting 19 crore trees—thus supporting India’s climate goals while lowering logistics costs.

Source/PIB