Railways to link Andhra capital Amaravati as cabinet clears Rs6,798-cr spending on 2 projects

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday granted approval to two railway projects estimated to cost a total Rs6,798 crore.

These include the construction of new 57 km line between Errupalem and Namburu via Amaravati, the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh and doubling of the Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga and Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur section covering 256 km. 

The new Errupalem-Amaravati-Namburu line will pass through NTR Vijayawada and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh and Khammam district of Telangana. It will ensure direct connectivity to Amaravati, the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Construction of the new line, with nine new railway stations, will provide connectivity to about 168 villages and a population of about 1.2 million.

The doubling of Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga and Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur section will strengthen the connectivity to Nepal, North East and border areas and facilitate movement of passenger and goods trains, helping to improve socio-economic growth of the region.

It will enhance connectivity to Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts, and provide service to 388 villages with a population of about nine lakh.

The projects will also facilitate transportation of agriculture produce, fertiliser, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, etc and increase annual freight capacity by 31 million tonnes on these routes.

Together, the two projects will cover eight districts in three states - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar – and expand the network of Indian Railways by about 313 km.

Besides minimising logistic costs, the augmentation of rail connectivity will result in reduced pollution, according to a cabinet note.

Both the projects are slated for completion in the next five years.

The projects will generate direct employment for about 10.6 million mandays.