E-Paper
Cabinet clears ₹7,616cr key rail, road projects, Bihar among beneficiaries
The Indian Cabinet approved ₹7,616 crore for two infrastructure projects in Bihar: doubling a railway line and building a new highway to enhance connectivity.
New Delhi
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved two major infrastructure projects aimed at strengthening rail and road connectivity in poll-bound Bihar and neighbouring states. Together, the projects involve an estimated investment of ₹7,616 crore.
The first project will double the Bhagalpur–Dumka–Rampurhat railway line. The 177-kilometre stretch, which runs through Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, will be upgraded from a single line to a double line. The sanctioned cost of the railway project is ₹3,169 crore. The doubling is intended to increase the line’s capacity, allowing more trains to operate and improving operational efficiency.
The route is significant for the movement of commodities such as coal, cement, fertilizers, bricks and stones. Capacity augmentation is expected to generate additional freight traffic of about 15 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), the government said.
The second project involves the construction of a new 82.4-kilometre greenfield highway between Mokama and Munger. This four-lane, access-controlled corridor will form part of the larger Buxar–Bhagalpur high-speed road network. It will be built under the Hybrid Annuity Mode at an approved cost of ₹4,447.38 crore. The new highway is planned to provide a faster, safer route linking key towns and industrial centres, improving the movement of goods and passengers across the region.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said both projects are part of a coordinated effort to strengthen multi-modal transport networks and enhance connectivity in eastern India. Improved road and rail links are expected to reduce travel times, increase reliability and support economic activity by facilitating smoother logistics and access to markets.
The approvals reflect an ongoing focus on infrastructure development as a means to boost regional growth and integrate under-served areas with the national transport grid. The railway doubling will ease congestion and improve scheduling flexibility on a vital corridor, while the new highway will expand high-speed road access in southern Bihar.
