Indian Railways lines up ₹7.33 lakh-cr new projects

The Indian Railways has announced 452 new railway projects, worth a total of ₹7.33 lakh crore ($98.77bn), in a bid to boost connectivity and capacity across the country. The projects, which are in different stages of planning, sanction and execution, include 183 new lines, 42 gauge conversions and 227 doubling of tracks, covering a total length of 49,323 km. Out of this total, 11,518 km have been commissioned at a cost of ₹2.35 lakh crore.

The railway ministry said it has prioritised the projects based on factors including last mile connectivity, traffic potential, capacity enhancement and availability of land, and is focusing on completing capacity enhancement and providing last mile connectivity to national projects. The government has also introduced various measures to speed up the sanction and implementation of the projects, including the setting up of Gati Shakti units, increased funding and delegation of powers to field levels.