Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw addressing the media on the Cabinet Decision at the National Media Centre in New Delhi on Friday.

| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday (July 24, 2026) approved a ₹1,264-crore railway project to add a third and fourth rail line on the Ballari-Guntakal section spanning Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.The project is aimed at increasing rail capacity, improving freight and passenger movement, and strengthening connectivity between the two states under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.“The project is planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity and logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. This project will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods, and services,” a government press statement said.The project, covering three districts across the two states, will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 46 Kms.“The proposed multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approximately 99 villages, which are having a population of about seven lakhs,” the government said.Outlining benefits, the government informed that the capacity enhancement will improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations across the country, including Ballari Fort, Sri Kumara Swamy Temple and so on.It further added that the proposed project is an essential route for transportation of commodities such as iron ore, dolomite, limestone, iron and steel, coal, fertilizers, food grains, etc.“The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 16.22 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum),” it stated.Talking about the environmental gains, it claimed that the proposed project will help both achieve climate goals, minimize logistics cost, reduce oil import (1.32 Crore Litres) and lower CO2 emissions (6.67 Crore Kg) which is equivalent to planting 0.27 crore trees.“The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. This multi-tracking proposal is poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion,” the government said. Published - July 24, 2026 06:24 pm IST