Union Railway Ministry Ashwini Vaishnaw addressing the media about Cabinet decisions at the National Media Center in New Delhi on March 10, 2026. | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) approved two railway projects for West Bengal and Jharkhand at a total cost of ₹ 4,474 crore.
These projects include the fourth railway line between Santragachi – Kharagpur in West Bengal and another connecting Sainthia in West Bengal and Pakur in Jharkhand.
The two projects cover five districts in both the states and will extend the existing rail network by around 192 km. It will enhance the connectivity of nearly 5,652 villages, covering a total population of about 147 million.
The proposed capacity increase will improve rail connectivity to several leading tourist destinations across the country, including Bolpur-Shantiniketan, Nandikeshwari Temple (Shaktipeeth), Tarapith (Shaktipeeth), Patachitra Gram, Dhadika Forest, Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary and Rameshwar Kund, according to a press release.
The approved projects are also essential routes for transporting commodities such as coal, stone, dolomite, cement, slag, gypsum, iron and steel and food grains. The capacity expansion works will lead to an additional freight traffic of 31 MTPA (million tonnes per annum).
Published – 10 March 2026 21:21 IST
