The CCEA’s ₹9,450 crore multi-tracking railway approval will transform Odisha’s freight corridors, boost tourism, and cut emissions
OdishaPlus Bureau
New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved four railway multi-tracking projects worth approximately Rs 9,450 crore, with Odisha getting the maximum benefits among the states covered under the scheme.
Of the four sanctioned projects, three run either wholly or partly through Odisha. These include the Kharagpur–Bhadrak (Ranital) 4th Line spanning 173 km across West Bengal and Odisha, the Bhadrak–Haridaspur 4th Line covering 75 km entirely within Odisha, and the Cuttack–Paradeep (Badabandha) 3rd and 4th Line project stretching 72 km, also entirely within the state.
The fourth project, the Gummidipundi–Gudur 3rd and 4th Line, lies in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Together, the four projects will add around 410 km to the Indian Railways network across eight districts in West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Officials said the multi-tracking initiative is expected to ease congestion on some of the busiest freight corridors in eastern India, particularly benefiting the transport of coal, iron ore, cement, steel, food grains and containers — commodities central to Odisha’s mineral and industrial economy.
The capacity enhancement is projected to generate an additional 76 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight traffic.
The projects are also set to improve rail access to several of Odisha’s prominent tourist and pilgrimage destinations. These include the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park, Chandipur Beach, Talsari-Udaypur, the temples of Maa Bhadrakali, Maa Dhamarai, Panchalingeswar, Sarala and Dhabaleswar, the Jagannath Temple at Gada Kujanga, and the Buddhist heritage site of Lalitgiri.
According to the government, the four projects combined will enhance connectivity to nearly 6,448 villages with a combined population of about 60 lakh, a large share of which falls within Odisha’s rural and coastal districts.
Officials said better rail access is expected to open up employment and self-employment opportunities in these areas, aligning with the Centre’s stated vision of building an “Atmanirbhar” regional economy through comprehensive infrastructure development.
The projects have been planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which emphasises multi-modal connectivity and logistics efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultation.
For Odisha, with its network of ports, mining hubs and industrial clusters, the multi-tracking of key routes such as Bhadrak–Haridaspur and Cuttack–Paradeep is expected to strengthen the evacuation of goods to Paradeep Port and other logistics gateways.
The government also highlighted the environmental benefits of the expansion. The capacity augmentation is estimated to reduce oil imports by around 13 crore litres and cut CO₂ emissions by approximately 65 crore kg — an impact equivalent to planting 2.60 crore trees.