Rail Revolution: ₹4,474 Cr Approved for WB & Jharkhand Tracks

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved two railway multitracking projects in West Bengal and Jharkhand with an estimated investment of ₹4,474 crore.

The projects involve adding a fourth railway line on the Sainthia–Pakur and Santragachi–Kharagpur sections. Once completed, the projects will add about 192 km to the Indian Railways network and are targeted for completion by 2030–31.

The additional tracks are expected to enhance capacity on these busy routes, reduce congestion, and improve operational efficiency and service reliability. Covering five districts across West Bengal and Jharkhand, the projects are likely to strengthen regional connectivity and benefit around 5,652 villages with a combined population of nearly 14.7 million.

These railway sections are important for the movement of key commodities such as coal, stone, dolomite, cement, slag, gypsum, iron and steel, foodgrains, and petroleum products. With the new lines in place, the routes are expected to handle an additional 31 million tonnes of freight traffic each year.

Planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the projects aim to strengthen multimodal connectivity and improve logistics efficiency. According to the government, the expansion of rail freight capacity could help reduce logistics costs and fuel consumption, potentially lowering oil imports by about 60 million litres and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 280 million kilograms.

The projects are part of broader efforts to modernize the railway network and promote more efficient and sustainable transport infrastructure in the country.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.