The Indian government has approved four rail multi-tracking projects on the east coast, aiming to enhance freight capacity, reduce congestion, and connect thousands of villages by 2030, as part of the PM Gati Shakti initiative.
India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved four railway multi-tracking projects on the east coast, a package worth about ₹9,450 crore that is due for completion by 2030-31, according to Rail Post and government statements cited in related reporting.
The projects will add about 410 kilometres to Indian Railways’ network and are designed to ease pressure on the busy Howrah-Chennai corridor, one of the country’s high-density routes. They are also expected to connect 6,448 villages with a combined population of about 6 million people, while opening up additional freight capacity and lowering logistics costs.
The four schemes cover the Kharagpur-Bhadrak fourth line, the Bhadrak-Haridaspur fourth line, the Gummidipundi-Gudur third and fourth lines, and the Cuttack-Paradeep third and fourth lines. In a separate announcement, the government said the wider multi-tracking push approved by the same committee is part of the PM Gati Shakti plan, which is intended to improve rail capacity, reduce congestion and strengthen freight movement across the network.
Among the individual projects, the Kharagpur-Bhadrak stretch will link steel centres such as Jakhapura, Tatanagar and Durgapur with Paradip and Dhamra ports, while also improving access for container traffic from Balasore to major eastern ports. The Bhadrak-Haridaspur line, already close to saturation, is meant to improve rail-sea movement for coal from the Mahanadi Coalfields through Dhamra and Paradip to power plants in southern India.
The Gummidipundi-Gudur project sits within the Vizag-Chennai industrial corridor and the planned East Coast Economic Corridor, and is expected to serve the port system around Chennai, Ennore and Krishnapatnam. The Cuttack-Paradeep section will create a stronger through route to Paradip port, where current capacity is already heavily stretched.
Officials said the projects together could generate substantial freight growth, save on logistics spending and cut fuel use. Rail Post said the east coast package could bring in an extra 76 million tonnes a year of freight traffic and reduce oil imports by about 13 crore litres, while related government briefings on other multi-tracking approvals have highlighted similar aims of boosting capacity, improving reliability and lowering emissions.
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