Centre Approves Rs 64 Billion Rail Expansion Projects

12 Jun 2025 CW Team

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved two major railway doubling projects with a total investment of Rs 64.05 billion. The projects, under the Ministry of Railways, aim to boost capacity and efficiency across critical freight corridors.

The first project involves doubling the 133 km Koderma–Barkakana rail section in Jharkhand, a key coal-producing region. This route also serves as the shortest and most efficient rail link between Patna and Ranchi. The second project is the doubling of the 185 km Ballari–Chikjajur line, spanning the Ballari and Chitradurga districts in Karnataka and the Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.

Together, these projects will add 318 km to the railway network, benefiting seven districts and improving connectivity to around 1,408 villages, home to approximately 2.82 million people. Both projects are part of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for integrated, multi-modal connectivity and are designed to support the movement of coal, iron ore, steel, cement, fertilisers, petroleum, and agricultural products.

The railway ministry expects the enhanced capacity to handle an additional 49 million tonnes of freight annually. These developments are expected to cut logistics costs, reduce oil imports by 520 million litres, and lower carbon emissions by 2.64 billion kilograms — the equivalent of planting 110 million trees.

Officials noted the projects would also drive local development, employment, and self-employment, contributing to a more self-reliant ("Atmanirbhar") regional economy.

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..