Indian Railways (IR) has approved multi-tracking of the 29-km Danapur – Fatuha section of East Central Railway (ECR) at a cost of ₹976 crore. The project will decongest one of the busiest stretches on the Patna rail corridor and create room for a higher traffic volume.
The sanctioned work covers three components as follows:
- Third and fourth lines will be laid between Danapur and Patna.
- A third line will be laid between Rajendra Nagar and Patna Saheb.
- Third and fourth lines will be laid between Patna Saheb and Fatuha.
The additional lines will ease congestion, minimise delay and improve punctuality in the Patna region. In the first year the new lines will handle an additional 22 passenger and 18 freight trains every day besides conveying an additional 5.2 million tonnes per annum of freight.
The project forms part of the Delhi- DDU- Patna- Kiul- Bhagalpur-Khana-Howrah route quadrupling. This route is identified under the energy, mineral and cement corridor of IR and will be useful in carrying coal to the upcoming 2120 MW thermal power plant at Chausa in Buxar district of Bihar.
