Indian Railways has approved a series of major rail infrastructure projects across multiple zones aimed at easing congestion, enhancing line capacity, strengthening safety systems, and enabling faster and more reliable passenger and freight movement. The projects span Southern, Northern and South Eastern Railways and include line doubling, additional tracks, bypass corridors and advanced signalling upgrades.
A key capacity expansion has been approved in Jharkhand with the Barbenda–Damrughutu doubling and Damrughutu–Bokaro Steel City third and fourth lines, involving an investment of ?815.32 crore. Falling under South Eastern Railway, the project is part of the Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor and addresses severe congestion on a section currently operating at over 100% utilisation. The expansion is expected to significantly improve connectivity to coal, steel, cement and petroleum hubs, strengthening industrial logistics and national supply chains.
To enhance safety and operational efficiency, Indian Railways has sanctioned ?421.41 crore for the installation of Electronic Interlocking systems at 34 stations on high-density and highly utilised routes of Northern Railway where the Kavach train protection system is being implemented. This includes 21 stations in the Delhi Division and 13 stations in the Ambala Division, enabling safer operations, higher train frequencies and improved signalling reliability.
The Northern Railway has also received approval for the ?411.96-crore Rajpura bypass line project. The 13.46-km bypass will allow freight trains to avoid the congested Rajpura Yard by providing direct connectivity between the New Shambhu Dedicated Freight Corridor station and Kauli station, easing pressure on the Ambala–Jalandhar section and supporting future traffic growth.
In Kerala, Indian Railways has cleared multiple projects to remove bottlenecks and improve punctuality. The ?324.16-crore Alappuzha–Ambalapuzha doubling will eliminate the last single-line stretch on the Ernakulam–Kayankulam route, allowing additional passenger services, increasing freight capacity, and improving reliability for both long-distance and inter-State movement. The ?163.57-crore Palakkad Town–Parli bypass line will eliminate engine reversals at Palakkad Junction, sharply reducing detention times for passenger and freight trains and easing congestion at one of Southern Railway’s busiest junctions.
In Tamil Nadu, the ?277.42-crore doubling of the Irugur–Podanur section on the Chennai–Thiruvananthapuram corridor has been approved. The project will enable additional passenger services, increase freight capacity, and support the transformation of the Chennai–Coimbatore–Podanur belt into a high-capacity corridor, benefiting industrial hubs such as Coimbatore.
Indian Railways said the approvals underline its readiness to deliver large-scale, modern rail infrastructure. Once implemented, the projects are expected to translate into faster journeys, higher freight efficiency, improved safety, and sustained economic growth, subject to timely cooperation from state governments.