India's Cabinet Approves Rs 9,450 Crore Multitracking Push Across Four States

India's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved four railway multitracking projects worth a combined Rs 9,450 crore (about $1.1 billion), the Ministry of Railways announced in mid-August.

The projects cover eight districts across four states: a 173 km fourth line between Kharagpur and Bhadrak (Ranital) in West Bengal and Odisha; a 75 km fourth line from Bhadrak to Haridaspur in Odisha; a 90 km third and fourth line between Gummidipundi and Gudur spanning Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; and a 72 km third and fourth line from Cuttack to Paradeep (Badabandha) in Odisha.

Combined, the projects will add roughly 410 km of additional track to the Indian Railways network and are scheduled for completion by 2030-31. The government says the extra capacity will ease congestion on some of eastern and southern India's busiest freight and passenger corridors, improving punctuality and enabling more services on routes that currently run near capacity.

The approvals form part of a broader push by Indian Railways to expand multitracking nationwide as freight and passenger volumes grow, particularly on routes serving major ports and industrial corridors in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.