Cabinet nod for 7 rail connectivity projects worth ₹32,500

Syllabus: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Context

With a view to improving rail connectivity and ease travel for commuters, the Union Cabinet approved seven railway projects estimated at around ₹32,500 crore.

About the Project

• Spanning 35 districts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, the projects will add 2,339 km to the railway network.
• The proposed doubling of the 96-km Gorakhpur Cantonment-Valmiki Nagar (Bihar) single-line section, at a cost of ₹1,269.8 crore
• It 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.
• The doubling of the 239-km Guntur-Bibi Nagar (Telangana) single-line section at ₹3,238 crore will reduce the distance for trains running between Chennai and Secunderabad by 76 km.
• The doubling of the Chopan-Chukar single-line section will enable faster connectivity for the mining area of Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and cement industry of Chukar Churk region (Uttar Pradesh) to Varanasi, Lucknow and Delhi.