The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved on Wednesday (June 11, 2025) two railway projects covering seven districts in Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with a total cost of ₹6,405 crore.
One of them is the doubling of the 133-km-long Koderma-Barkakana track, which not only passes through a major coal-producing area of Jharkhand but also serves as the shortest and a more efficient rail link between Patna and Ranchi.
The second project is the doubling of the 185-km Ballari-Chikjajur track that traverses through Ballari and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
According to the government, the approved multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approximately 1,408 villages, which have a population of about 28.19 lakh.
“These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, iron ore, finished steel, cement, fertilisers, agricultural commodities, petroleum products, etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 49 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum),” it said.
