Indian Railways approves Rs 440 cr South Eastern rail line project

Indian Railways has approved a Rs 440-crore project to construct a 14.52-km third railway line between Nimpura West Outer Cabin and Midnapur on the South Eastern Railway, aiming to ease congestion and enhance capacity on one of the country's key freight corridors.According to agency reports,the project is part of the Railways' ongoing efforts to strengthen infrastructure on high-density routes to facilitate faster movement of passenger and freight trains while meeting the growing transportation needs of industries and essential commodities.
The sanctioned work involves laying a third line on the 14.52-km stretch, which forms part of the High Utilisation Network (HUN-2). While the Nimpura West Outer Cabin-Gokulpur section currently operates as a single line, doubling work is already in progress. The addition of a third line is expected to significantly improve line capacity and operational flexibility.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the corridor carries substantial passenger and freight traffic and serves as a vital route for transporting commodities such as coal, iron ore, manganese, containers, clinker, pellet iron, iron and steel, wheat, stone, sleepers, slag, salt, rice, petroleum products, limestone, gypsum, fertilisers, edible oil, chemical salt, charcoal, cement, ballast and ash.The section currently handles an annual freight loading of nearly 23.80 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). However, with capacity utilisation reaching 115.71 per cent, it is operating beyond its designed limit, leading to congestion and operational challenges.
The ministry said the third railway line is expected to ease these bottlenecks by creating additional capacity for both passenger and freight services. Once completed, the project is projected to support an additional freight movement of 3.52 million tonnes per annum, improving the transportation of key industrial and essential commodities.The enhanced infrastructure is also expected to improve operational efficiency, reduce congestion, increase network reliability and strengthen connectivity for industries and businesses dependent on the corridor.The approval is part of Indian Railways' broader strategy to expand capacity across high-density routes and build a faster, more efficient and future-ready railway network to support the country's economic growth.