Four rail projects approved; to benefit Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam

By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, Aug 27: Aiming at seamless and faster movement of goods and passengers, the Central government today approved 4 rail projects worth over Rs 12,300 crore.

Among these, three projects will benefit Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam and one new rail line will connect far flung areas of Kutch in Gujarat.

These projects include: –
(1)  Deshalpar – Hajipir – Luna and Vayor – Lakhpat New Line
(2)  Secunderabad (Sanathnagar) – Wadi 3rd and 4th Line
(3)  Bhagalpur – Jamalpur 3rd line
(4)  Furkating – New Tinsukia Doubling

These initiatives will provide connectivity and improve travel convenience besides reducing logistic cost and decrease dependence on oil imports, said an official spokesman.

Additionally, the projects will contribute to lower CO2 emissions, thereby supporting sustainable and efficient rail operations, the spokesman said, adding these will also generate direct employment for about 251 lakh human-days during its construction.

The proposed new line will provide connectivity to the far-fetched area of Kutch region. It will add 145 route km and 164 track km to the existing railway network in Gujarat with an estimated cost of 2526 crore rupees. The completion timeline of the project is 3 years.

Besides promoting tourism in the state of Gujarat, the new rail line will help in transportation of salt, cement, coal, clinker and bentonite.

The strategic importance of the project is that it will provide connectivity to Rann of Kutch. Harappan site Dholavira, Koteshwar temple, Narayan Sarovar &Lakhpat fort will also come under the rail network as 13 new railway stations will be added benefitting 866 villages and about 16 Lakh population.

In a major connectivity boost, the approved multi-tracking projects will enhance connectivity to approx. 3,108 villages and about 47.34 lakh population and one aspirational District (Kalaburagi) benefitting the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam.

The completion timeline for 173 km long Secunderabad (Sanathnagar) – Wadi 3rd and 4th Line, spanning across Karnataka and Telangana, having cost of 5012 crores, is five years while for the 53 km long Bhagalpur – Jamalpur 3rd line in Bihar, it is three years, for which the cost is 1156 crore rupees.

The work for 194 km long Furkating – New Tinsukia Doubling, having the cost of 3634 crore rupees, will be completed in four years.

The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways.

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/ self-employment opportunities.

The projects are planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with a focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity and logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations.

The four projects covering 13 Districts across the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 565 Kms.

These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, flyash, steel, containers, fertilizers, agriculture commodities and Petroleum products etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 68 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).

The Railways being environment friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (56 Crore Litres) and lower CO2 emissions (360 Crore Kg) which is equivalent to plantation of 14 Crore trees.

The proposed projects aim to enhance logistical efficiency by augmenting line capacity along critical routes for transportation of coal, containers, cement, agricultural commodities, automobiles, petroleum products, Iron & Steel and other goods.

These improvements are expected to optimize supply chains, thereby facilitating accelerated economic growth. (BVI)