New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the doubling of the Bhagalpur–Dumka–Rampurhat railway line covering 177 km across Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The project will be executed at an estimated cost of ₹3,169 crore.
According to an official statement, the project will expand line capacity, improve mobility, and ensure greater efficiency and reliability for Indian Railways. The multi-tracking work is expected to ease congestion and enhance operations on one of the busiest railway sections.
The initiative aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision of building a “New India” by fostering regional development and creating new employment opportunities. It also falls under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which emphasizes integrated planning to improve multi-modal connectivity and logistics efficiency.
Once completed, the project will extend the Indian Railways network by 177 km across five districts in the three states. It will also improve connectivity to key pilgrimage and tourist destinations such as Deoghar (Baba Baidyanath Dham) and Tarapith (Shakti Peeth).
The line doubling will benefit around 28.72 lakh people across 441 villages, including three Aspirational Districts—Banka, Godda, and Dumka. Additionally, it will boost freight movement, enabling the transport of an extra 15 million tonnes of commodities annually, including coal, cement, fertilizers, and construction materials.
From an environmental perspective, the project will support India’s climate goals by reducing oil imports by approximately 5 crore litres and cutting CO2 emissions by 24 crore kg—the equivalent of planting one crore trees.
With inputs from IANS