NewzVille Desk
The Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday virtually flagged off Bhopal–Dhanbad–Bhopal New Tri-Weekly Express and Bhopal–Chopan–Bhopal New Weekly Express at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi. This marks a significant step towards enhancing rail connectivity and passenger convenience in Madhya Pradesh and adjoining states.
The launching ceremony was held at Bhopal Railway Station in the august presence of Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Dr. Mohan Yadav, Deputy Chief Ministers Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla, Members of Parliament Alok Sharma and Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Members of Legislative Assembly Radha Singh & Riti Pathak and other dignitaries.
Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that railway development in Madhya Pradesh has reached an unprecedented scale during the Prime Minister’s historic third term. He informed that projects worth ₹48,000 crore, directly connecting with Madhya Pradesh, have been sanctioned during this period.
Vaishnaw said that the long-awaited Indore-Manmad new railway line, a dream project for the region, has been sanctioned at an estimated cost of ₹18,000 crore. The Bhusawal-Khandwa third and fourth line project has been approved at ₹3,500 crore, while the Prayagraj-Manikpur third line project has been sanctioned at ₹1,640 crore. The Ratlam-Nagda third and fourth line project has been approved at ₹1,000 crore.
In addition, the Itarsi-Nagpur fourth railway line project has been sanctioned at ₹5,400 crore. The important Itarsi-Bhopal-Bina fourth line corridor, a crucial high-density route, has been approved at ₹4,300 crore. The Vadodara-Ratlam third and fourth line project has been sanctioned at ₹8,800 crore. He said that the Cabinet has also approved the Gondia-Jabalpur doubling project at a cost of ₹5,200 crore.
Other major ongoing projects include Ramganj Mandi-Bhopal, Lalitpur-Singrauli, Indore-Budni, Bina-Katni third line, Satna-Rewa and Katni-Singrauli doubling, Katni grade separator, and gauge conversion projects, which will significantly improve rail capacity, punctuality, and freight movement.
