The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Monday approved a 309 km long railway line between Mumbai and Indore at a cost of Rs 18,036 crore.
The project, which is expected to be completed by 2028-29, will cover six districts in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and will increase the existing network of Indian Railways, an official statement said.
“With this project 30 New Stations will be constructed, providing enhanced connectivity to Aspirational District Barwani. The New Line project will provide connectivity to approximately 1,000 villages and around 30 lakh population,” the statement added.
The project would offer direct access from JNPA’s gateway port and other state ports to the Pithampur Auto Cluster, which is home to 700 small and medium-sized businesses and 90 large units.
Additionally, it will directly link areas in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra that produce millet and onions, thus facilitating the transportation of the latter to the northern and southern regions of the country.
The project is the outcome of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which enables seamless multi-modal connectivity for the flow of people, products, and services. Integrated planning made this feasible.
The project will boost tourism in the area by establishing a quicker route between Central India and the Western/South Western regions of the nation.
This would also attract tourists to the Sri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple and other tourist and religious sites in the Ujjain– Indore area.