With a view to improve rail connectivity and ease travel for commuters, the Union Cabinet approved seven projects for Ministry of Railways at a cost of around ₹32,500 crore. Spanning 35 districts in nine States - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, the projects will add 2,339 km to the existing network.
The proposed doubling of the 96-km-long Gorakhpur Cantonment-Valmiki Nagar (Bihar) single-line section at a cost of ₹1,269.8 crore, will save two to three hours in running time for trains to Assam, Tripura, north Bihar, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and for passengers to and from Nepal, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways. “Jute, sugar industries, maize and its products of north Bihar will be benefitted,” said Mr. Vaishnaw.
Also, the doubling of Guntur-Bibinagar (Telangana) single-line section, which is 239-km long at ₹3,238 crore, will reduce the distance for trains running between Chennai and Secunderabad by 76 km. “It will further shorten distance from Vijayawada to Secunderabad by 38 km,” Mr. Vaishnaw added.
