The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved eight railway multitracking projects worth ₹20,804 crore across nine states, aimed at easing congestion and improving the movement of passengers and freight.
The projects will cover around 1,196 km of railway routes, strengthening capacity on several high-density corridors. The investment is expected to improve operational efficiency, reduce bottlenecks and support faster rail connectivity.
The projects span West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana. Together, they will benefit districts across eastern, central and southern India and improve connectivity between key industrial and commercial regions.
A major focus of the programme is increasing capacity for freight movement, particularly on routes carrying commodities such as coal, cement, iron and steel. The additional tracks are expected to allow more trains to operate and reduce delays caused by congestion on existing lines.
The projects are being taken forward under the government’s broader PM Gati Shakti infrastructure strategy, which seeks to integrate transport networks and improve multimodal connectivity. The expansion is also expected to support economic activity in the regions served by the upgraded routes.
For the logistics sector, the investment could improve the reliability of rail-based cargo movement, provide additional freight capacity and strengthen connections between production centres, markets and ports. The move comes as Indian Railways continues to expand infrastructure to accommodate growing passenger and freight demand.