The Indian Railways is looking at upgrading track infrastructure near the coal mines. The up-gradation will be focused on coal which bears regions for expeditious transportation since the country is grappling with a spike in power demand.

The plan would further comprise setting up requisite infrastructure in mines before they are auctioned.

As per one of the officials, the focus is kept on the creation of requisite infrastructure in the coal and iron ore regions of Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand.

The ministry is in conversation with the stakeholder ministries and departments. It has also commenced initial discussions with the coal and power ministries for the up gradation of the existing infrastructure to identify any possible hike in demand for coal.

Additionally, there is a view that a railway line needs to be provided wherever the output is expected to exceed one million tonne per annum. This approach might further result in railway lines being developed ahead of coal production commencing in some coal mines. Furthermore, the railways are also planning to be ready in advance to face any future railway network shortages.

Aligning with this approach, the South East Central Railway (SECR) zone is assigned the task to develop 14 projects which have reached a sanctioning stage. The new railway lines will cover a distance of more than 2985 track km.

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