Cabinet Clears Rs 111 Billion Railway Upgrade Across 6 States

05 Aug 2025 CW Team

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved four major railway multitracking projects worth approximately Rs 111 billion. These projects, spread across 13 districts in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand, will expand the Indian Railways network by 574 kilometres and are scheduled for completion by 2028–29.

The approved corridors include the fourth line between Itarsi and Nagpur, doubling of the Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)–Parbhani section, and the third and fourth lines on the Aluabari Road–New Jalpaiguri and Dangoaposi–Jaroli routes.

These multitracking initiatives are aligned with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which aims to achieve multi-modal connectivity through coordinated planning and stakeholder integration.

Once operational, these upgrades are expected to ease congestion, boost operational efficiency, and enhance the reliability of freight and passenger services. The projects will support vital freight routes for coal, cement, clinker, gypsum, fly ash, containers, agricultural produce, and petroleum products, with an estimated capacity to handle an additional 95.91 million tonnes per annum.

During construction, the projects will benefit approximately 2,309 villages with a combined population of around 43.6 million and are projected to create about 229 million person-days of direct employment.

From an environmental perspective, the enhanced rail capacity is expected to reduce annual oil imports by 160 million litres and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 5.15 billion kilograms – equivalent to planting roughly 2 billion trees.

Real Estate

07 Jul 2026

Pecan Realty Completes Rs 1.5 Billion Transactions

Pecan Realty has recently completed four institutional transactions worth over Rs 1.5 billion over the past two years, strengthening its position as an execution-led real estate platform. The deals include resolution-led acquisitions, structured finance transactions and capital partnerships across its development portfolio.The transactions covered acquisitions through the National Company Law Tribunal process and helped provide repayment or exits to both private and public sector lenders. The company said the deals demonstrate its ability to resolve complex project situations, work with instit..

SNN Estates Expands North Bengaluru Housing Project

SNN Estates has announced an expansion of its SNN Estates Felicity residential project in North Bengaluru following strong buyer demand, with 75 per cent of the first-phase inventory sold within three days of launch.The developer will add 76 apartments in the new phase, taking the project's estimated revenue potential to around Rs 1,000 crore upon completion of Phase 2.Spread across 6.5 acres in Rachenahalli, near Manyata Tech Park, the project comprises 604 apartments in 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 and 4 BHK configurations. The development includes a 50,000-sq-ft clubhouse with amenities such as sports co..

SCG Drives ASEAN Industrial Transformation Strategy

SCG is strengthening its focus on ASEAN as a key growth region by advancing industrial transformation, enhancing competitiveness and building resilient regional value chains. Thammasak Sethaudom, President and Chief Executive Officer, SCG, highlighted the need for industries to continuously develop capabilities, strengthen resilience and deepen regional cooperation to achieve sustainable long-term growth.SCG views ASEAN as an important growth engine alongside China, supported by favourable demographics, trade connectivity and investment flows. With ASEAN’s GDP projected to grow by around 4.7..