Indian Railways has approved a series of strategic infrastructure projects across the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Railway zones. In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said that these projects aim to modernize coaching maintenance ecosystems, alleviate congestion on high-density corridors, eliminate operational bottlenecks, and significantly enhance both passenger and freight capacity.
Indian Railways has approved the development of coach maintenance facilities at the Shri Ganganagar Station in Rajasthan under Phase I, at a cost of over 174 crore rupees. This project is part of a broader initiative to upgrade and develop maintenance infrastructure for modern rolling stock, including LHB and Vande Bharat trains.
Indian Railways has also approved the augmentation of coach maintenance facilities at Lalgarh, Rajasthan, under Phase II, at a cost of over 139 crore rupees. This augmentation will significantly enhance maintenance preparedness for additional Vande Bharat trainsets and other rolling stock.
In a major capacity enhancement initiative in Kerala, Indian Railways has approved the doubling of the 21.10-kilometer Turavur-Mararikulam section of Southern Railway at a cost of over 450 crore rupees. This section lies on the strategically important Ernakulam-Alappuzha-Kayankulam corridor, which handles substantial passenger as well as freight traffic, including port-linked cargo.
The doubling project will enable the operation of nine additional passenger trains per day in each direction and facilitate increased freight movement of approximately 2.88 million tonnes per annum.
The Ministry of Railways said that the construction of the 4.75-kilometer Kalipahari Bypass Line under Eastern Railway in West Bengal has also been approved at a cost of over 107 crore rupees to address operational constraints in the Asansol area. The project is expected to save approximately 90 minutes of detention for nine freight trains per day and about 30 minutes for eight coaching trains.