The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given it approval for four major multitracking railway projects. These projects, worth approximately Rs 186.6 billion, are expected to enhance India’s railway system by improving mobility of goods and services, reducing congestion in passenger freights, and upgrading infrastructure, thereby allowing it to match global standards.

The railways will add 19 stations and 1247 km to the current railway network, which will connect 15 districts across Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. Alongside an increase in transport capabilities, the project aims to increase employment and industrial growth in these regions, both through increased demand for labour and by connecting industrial hubs.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the project will be beneficial to the environment and India’s sustainability goals, as it will help reduce reliance on oil imports and reduce CO? emissions. This, he said, “is equivalent to the planting of 190 million trees”.

The projects include: • Sambalpur – Jarapda 3rd and 4th Line • Jharsuguda – Sason 3rd and 4th Line • Kharsia – Naya Raipur – Parmalkasa 5th and 6th Line • Gondia – Balharshah doubling