Indian Railways has sanctioned a series of strategic infrastructure projects across Northern, Southern and Eastern Railway zones. The Ministry of Railways, in a statement, said that these projects aim to modernise coaching maintenance ecosystems, decongest high-density corridors, eliminate operational bottlenecks and significantly enhance both passenger and freight capacity.

 

Indian Railways has sanctioned the Development of Coach Maintenance Facilities at Shri Ganganagar Station in Rajasthan under Phase I at a cost of over 174 crore rupees. The project is part of the broader initiative to upgrade and develop maintenance infrastructure for modern rolling stock, including LHB and Vande Bharat trains.

 

Indian Railways has also sanctioned the Augmentation of Coaching 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 sanctioned the doubling of the 21.10-kilometre Turavur-Mararikulam section of Southern Railway at a cost of over 450 crore rupees. The 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-kilometre Kalipahari Bypass Line under Eastern Railway in West Bengal has also been sanctioned at a cost of over 107 crore rupees to address operational constraints in the Asansol area. The project is expected to save around 90 minutes of detention for approximately nine freight trains per day and about 30 minutes for eight coaching trains.