Indian Railways (IR) this week sanctioned a slew of projects aimed at expanding existing capacity of sections with high traffic density. The details of these projects are as follows:
1.Barbenda–Damrughutu doubling and Damrughutu–Bokaro Steel City 3rd and 4th lines:
Barbenda–Damrughutu doubling and Damrughutu–Bokaro Steel City 3rd and 4th lines in Jharkhand are capacity expansion projects under South Eastern Railway’s Adra division. The project is estimated to cost ₹815.32 crore.
This section is India’s major freight corridor for transportation of energy, mineral, and cement. Presently, train detention on this line ranges between 90 and 150 minutes. It handles 78 trains daily (38 passenger and 40 freight) supporting a freight throughput of 35.22 MTPA.
This project will directly improve energy logistics, industrial output, and the supply chain efficiency of Central Coalfields, cement and steel plants, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited Depot, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Depot, and the Bokaro Steel City industrial ecosystem.
2. Rajpura bypass in Ambala division Northern Railway (NR)
The 13.46-km Rajpura bypass line is being constructed at a cost of ₹411.96 crore in NR’s Ambala division. This will alleviate congestion on one of NR’s busiest sections between Ambala and Jalandhar.
It will connect the New Shambhu Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) station with Kauli station on the existing Rajpura-Bathinda line. It will decongest Rajpura yard, which is currently operating at saturated capacity. The new bypass will entirely skip Rajpura yard while providing direct connectivity to the Dedicated Freight Corridor at New Shambhu.
3.Ujjain bypass from Fatehabad Chandrawatiganj side to Nagda side in Ratlam division of Western Railway (WR)
This 8.6-km bypass line connecting Chintaman Ganesh to Naikheri will enable trains from Fatehabad Chandrawatiganj side to directly go towards Nagda eliminating direction reversal of trains at Ujjain.
Ujjain will see a sea of pilgrims visiting Ujjain during the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela in 2028. This bypass will unlock train handling capacity at Ujjain, reduce detention and improve punctuality especially during peak festival seasons.
4.Alapuzha- Ambalapuzha doubling in Thiruvananthapuram division of Southern Railway (SR)
Alappuzha–Ambalapuzha doubling is a 12.66-km section to be constructed at a cost of ₹324.16 crore
This project removes a critical single-line constraint on the Ernakulam–Turavur–Kayankulam route. Once completed, it will enable nine additional passenger trains per day in each direction besides adding 2.88 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight capacity. It will generate additional annual earnings of ₹3.23 crore, improve operational efficiency by reducing detention for both passenger and freight trains.
5. Irugur- Podanur doubling in Salem division of SR
Irugur–Podanur doubling is a 10.77-km project estimated to cost ₹277.42 crore. This section is a crucial link on the Chennai–Thiruvananthapuram corridor.
This project will allow additional traffic of 15 passenger trains per day and increase freight capacity by 3.12 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), with annual net earnings expected to rise by ₹11.77 crore. Doubling of this section will benefit industrial hubs in and around Coimbatore.
6. Palakkad Town–Parli bypass line in Palakkad division of SR
This 1.8 -km bypass line will be built at a cost of ₹163.57 crore. The Palakkad bypass project eliminates loco reversal at Palakkad Junction in Kerala for trains from Palakkad Town side.
It reduces average detention of passenger trains by 40-44 minutes and cuts freight detention by up to 120 minutes per train, simultaneously supporting additional passenger services from Palakkad Jn.
The bypass will ease congestion and improve punctuality on routes connecting Shoranur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Pollachi.
7.Aunrihar -Varanasi City 3rd line in Varanasi division of North Eastern Railway (NER)
A 31.36-km third line between Aunrihar and Varanasi City in Uttar Pradesh will be laid at a cost of ₹497.07 crore.
This section handles high passenger and freight traffic, including cement, coal, food grains, iron, steel, and industrial materials. The third line will convey extra freight of 1.99 MTPA.
8.Ringas-Sikar doubling in Jaipur division of North Western Railway (NWR):
Doubling of the 50.06-km Ringas–Sikar section in Rajasthan is likely to cost ₹470.34 crore. Five additional pairs of trains daily and freight traffic increase of 2.36 MTPA, once completed. It will also improve connectivity to pilgrimage centres such as Khatu Shyamji and Salasar Balaji.
