New rail line between Mumbai and Indore with Rs 18,000 crore; six districts will benefit
Railways: A new rail line will be built between Mumbai and Indore with Rs 18,000 crore, six districts will benefit from this. The Cabinet has approved the new rail project.
The Cabinet has given its green light to a new rail line scheme, 309 km in length, to form the shortest rail connectivity between the two major business hubs, Mumbai and Indore. It'll not only connect Manmad and Indore in Mumbai but also connect districts of both the states that hadn't been connected by rail yet. These included 2 districts of Maharashtra and 4 districts of Madhya Pradesh. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 18,036 crore and it will be completed by 2028-29. During its construction phase, the project will also generate direct employment for about 1,02 lakh mandays.
This project is an outcome of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multi-Modal Connectivity that ensures seamless connectivity in movement-people, goods, and services-integrated planning.
Along the project, 30 new stations will be constructed and thereby provide better connectivity to the aspirational district of Barwani. The new railway line project will provide connectivity to about 1,000 villages and a population of approximately 30 lakh. The project will boost tourism in the area by providing a route connecting the western/southwestern part of the country to central India. The mega project will increase tourism footfall in various tourist/religious places falling under the Ujjain-Indore region, including the Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple. It shall provide direct connectivity to the Pithampur auto cluster consisting of 90 large units and 700 small and medium industries to the Gateway Port of JNPA and other state ports. This project will provide direct connectivity with millet-producing districts of Madhya Pradesh and onion-producing districts of Maharashtra, thus facilitating its distribution in the northern and southern parts of the country.
It is an important route for the movement of commodities such as agricultural products, fertilizers, containers, iron ore, steel, cement, POL, etc. There will be additional freight traffic of approximately 26 MTPA arising from the works. The railways are an eco-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation which will contribute towards achieving the climate goals set by the government and help reduce the logistics cost for the country, cutting oil imports by 18 crore litres and carbon dioxide emission by 138 crore kg equivalent to planting 5.5 crore trees.
