The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved eight railway multitracking projects with a combined estimated cost of ₹20,804 crore, covering nine states. The projects are aimed at expanding railway capacity, easing congestion and improving the movement of both passengers and freight across key routes.
The approved works will involve additional railway tracks along existing routes, allowing more trains to operate on corridors that are currently facing capacity constraints. The projects are part of the broader effort to strengthen the railway network and improve operational efficiency.
A major focus of the investment is on corridors that carry significant passenger and freight traffic. Additional tracks are expected to provide greater flexibility in train operations while reducing dependence on congested single- or double-line sections.
The projects will also support freight movement by creating additional capacity on important routes connecting industrial and commercial centres. Improved rail capacity can enable smoother movement of commodities and help accommodate increasing transportation demand.
The multitracking programme covers railway infrastructure spread across nine states, bringing several existing routes under capacity augmentation. The projects are expected to improve connectivity while providing additional infrastructure for the growth in rail traffic.
The approval comes as Indian Railways continues to undertake large-scale capacity enhancement works, including doubling, tripling and quadrupling of existing routes. Such projects are intended to address bottlenecks on busy corridors and improve the overall efficiency of the network.
The investment of ₹20,804 crore, the latest set of approvals represents another major addition to the ongoing expansion of India’s railway infrastructure, with additional track capacity expected to support both passenger services and freight operations.