Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday announced a new Rajpura-Mohali railway line in Punjab, costing ₹443 crore and spanning 18km besides proposing a new Vande Bharat train connecting Ferozepur cantonment with New Delhi via Bathinda and Patiala.
Vaishnaw highlighted a significant increase in railway investment in Punjab from ₹225 crore during 2009-14 to ₹5,421 crore now. He expressed special thanks to minister of state Ravneet Bittu and said he deserves full credit for the project’s development.
The demand for the Rajpura-Mohali rail line has been pending for five decades.
The ministers announced the launch of the Vande Bharat Express between Ferozepur and New Delhi, saying the train will operate six days a week, except on Wednesday.
The proposals were cleared in principle and will be sent for cabinet approval.
For the Mohali-Rajpura rail link, the Railways require 54 hectares, which the Punjab government will acquire and hand over to the Centre.
Vaishnaw said other projects in Punjab, including the Chandigarh railway station upgrade, are expected to be completed by 2026-27.