New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved five railway multitracking projects with an estimated combined cost of ₹10,021 crore, aimed at easing congestion and expanding capacity across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.
The projects will add about 540 kilometres to the railway network and are planned for completion by 2029–30. They cover 17 districts and are expected to improve operational efficiency, service reliability and the movement of passengers and freight.
The approved works include third and fourth lines on the 77-kilometre Arakkonam–Renigunta section and the 47-kilometre Whitefield–Bangarapet section. They also include doubling of the 147-kilometre Hosur–Omalur route and the 159-kilometre Salem–Karur–Dindigul route.
The fifth project involves multitracking of the 110-kilometre Secunderabad, or Ghatkesar, to Kazipet section. Each corridor serves a different combination of suburban, inter-city, industrial and freight traffic, making additional tracks important for reducing conflicts between train movements.
The government said the projects had been planned under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, with integrated assessment of multimodal connectivity and logistics requirements. The approach is intended to align railway capacity with industrial centres, roads, ports and other transport infrastructure.
Around 2,121 villages with a combined population of about 52 lakh are expected to benefit from improved connectivity. The routes also provide access to tourist and pilgrimage destinations, including Tirupati, Kolar Gold Fields, Hogenakkal Falls, Mettur Dam, Kodaikanal and Yadagirigutta.
For freight users, the lines carry commodities such as coal, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles, foodgrains, petroleum products and fertilisers. The capacity expansion is projected to support about 47 million tonnes of additional freight traffic each year.
Railway multitracking differs from the construction of an entirely new corridor. It adds tracks alongside existing routes so that more trains can operate, faster services can overtake slower ones and maintenance can be undertaken with less disruption.
The benefits will depend on the timely acquisition of land, utility shifting, construction planning and coordination with existing train operations. Work on busy routes must be sequenced carefully because passenger and freight services generally continue while additional tracks and associated systems are built.
The government has estimated that the shift of traffic towards rail could reduce oil imports by about eight crore litres and lower carbon emissions by roughly 42 crore kilograms. These are projected benefits based on the greater energy efficiency of rail compared with road transport for bulk and long-distance movement.
The projects are also expected to generate employment during construction and support economic activity once the added capacity becomes available. Better rail reliability can improve access to markets and reduce delays for manufacturers, agricultural producers and logistics operators.
Approval by the Cabinet committee clears the projects at the policy and expenditure stage. Detailed execution will now rest with the railway authorities, which will need to complete the works within the approved cost and the target period ending in 2029–30.
Once commissioned, the additional lines are expected to create more operating paths on some of southern India’s busiest rail corridors. Their long-term value will be reflected in reduced congestion, higher freight throughput and more dependable passenger services.
