INDIA’s Union Cabinet has sanctioned three track expansion projects with a combined length of 375km under a total investment of Rs 79.3bn ($US 961m).
The projects comprise track quadrupling on the 160km Manmad - Jalgaon (Rs 27.7bn) and the 131km Bhusawal - Khandwa (Rs 35.1bn) lines in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and a track tripling project on the 84km Manikpur - Prayagraj line in Uttar Pradesh.
The increase in line capacity on the Manmad - Jalgaon line on the Mumbai - Prayagraj - Varanasi route will boost rail freight traffic from ports in Mahrashtra, in particular the transport of agricultural products, by an estimated 21 million tonnes per annum, which will save 80 million litres of diesel.
Expansion of the Bhusawal - Khandwa line will support increases in passenger traffic from Mumbai to states in the north and east of India as well as boost freight traffic by 13 million tonnes per year.
The new third track on the Prayagraj - Manikpur line will serve as a feeder route to the 1337km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), which runs from Ludhiana to Dankuni, near Kolkata, by connecting the Chitrakoot and Prayagraj districts of Uttar Pradesh with Baghelkhand in the Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. The expansion of the line is expected to increase freight traffic by 16 million tonnes per year and help to boost tourism to the Unesco World Heritage site of Khajuraho and popular locations such as Rewa Fort, Keoti Falls and the Purva falls.
The Indian government has committed Rs 665.2bn to 17 new railway projects since June. The projects include schemes to build 1333km of new lines, and 752km of multi-track sections.
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