NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet Saturday approved two railway multi-tracking projects worth Rs 24,815 crore. Covering 15 districts across Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, these projects will increase Indian Railways’ network by about 601 km. The projects are the 403- km Ghaziabad-Sitapur 3rd and 4th lines in Uttar Pradesh and the 198- km Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam 3rd and 4th lines in Andhra Pradesh. Announcing the decisions, railway and I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said there is need to increase line capacity on the two corridors. The Ghaziabad-Sitapur section is one of the most congested railway corridors in the country, he added. The alignment of new tracks will be mostly along existing network, but at some places lines will be laid to bypass congested cities. Construction of the new lines will also boost tourism as they will improve rail connectivity to several prominent destinations, govt said.
