Cabinet gives nod to 4 major railway projects worth Rs 24,634 crore
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved four railway multi-tracking projects worth ₹24,634 crore to boost connectivity and ease congestion across key routes in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh.
The projects will together add around 894 kilometres to the Indian Railways network and are expected to be completed by 2030-31.
The four approved sections include the Wardha-Bhusawal third and fourth line ( ₹9,197 crore) in Maharashtra, the Gondia-Dongargarh fourth line ( ₹2,223 crore) spanning Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, the Vadodara-Ratlam third and fourth line ( ₹8,885 crore) across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and the Itarsi-Bhopal-Bina fourth line ( ₹4,329 crore) in Madhya Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, on X, that the projects “will benefit thousands of villages, strengthen rail connectivity, ease congestion and enhance logistics efficiency under PM Gati Shakti. Other benefits include enhanced passenger convenience, freight movement and job opportunities for people.”
The projects are part of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which is the government’s infrastructure plan to make transportation and logistics in India faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
In total, the projects will cover 18 districts and benefit about 3,600 villages with a combined population of roughly 8.5 million people, including two aspirational districts, Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh and Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh.