New Delhi: The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved four railway projects across Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh worth Rs 18,658 crore, Union Railways and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Friday.

These multitracking projects will add 1,247 kilometres to the existing Indian Railways track network, with 680 km of routes being added.

The projects are Sambalpur–Jarapada 3rd and 4th Line, Jharsuguda–Sason 3rd and 4th Line, Kharsia–Naya Raipur–Parmlakasa 5th and 6th Line, and Gondia–Balharshah doubling.

“The enhanced line capacity will improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multitracking proposals will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across Indian Railways,” the cabinet said in a statement. The 278 route km railway lines in Chhattisgarh will be built at a cost of Rs 8,741 crore and will bring up to 38 million tonnes (mt) of additional cargo, while the Rs 4,819 crore line doubling in Maharashtra will help in decongesting North–South routes, Vaishnaw said.

Similarly, the two projects in Odisha are expected to decongest crucial arteries such as Talcher, Paradip, Sambalpur, and the Howrah–Mumbai route. These see heavy congestion due to high passenger movement and the supply of coal, among other raw materials. The projects will generate 38 million human-days of employment, Vaishnaw said, adding that diesel consumption will be reduced by 950 million litres due to these electrified projects.