Overview

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved two doubling projects on June 11, 2025, targeting the 133-km Koderma–Barkakana line and the 185-km Ballari–Chikjajur corridor.
• Under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the projects will add 318 km of track to the network and link 1,408 villages home to roughly 2.8 million residents.
• Capacity augmentation is projected to carry an additional 49 million tonnes of freight annually, easing the movement of coal, iron ore, steel, cement, fertilisers and agricultural products.
• Shifting freight to the expanded rail lines is expected to save 520 million litres of oil and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2,640 million kilograms.
• Construction is slated for completion within three years and will generate direct employment equivalent to about 10.8 million human-days during the build phase.