In a move to provide direct connectivity to Amaravati, the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh, and to parts of Telangana and Bihar, the Union Cabinet Thursday approved two railway projects with the estimated cost of Rs 6,798 crore. The Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are the two main allies in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The two approved projects entail the doubling of Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga & Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur Section covering 256 kms in Bihar and construction of new line between Errupalem and Namburu via Amaravati covering 57 kms in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The projects will be completed in five years. An official of the Ministry of Railways said that the rail project for Amaravati is part of the Budget announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23 this tear, where she said that recognising the state’s need for a capital city, Centre will facilitate special financial support through multilateral development agencies. She said that in the current financial year, Rs 15,000 crore will be arranged, with additional amounts in future years. The Ministry of Railways said that the both projects will cover a total of eight districts in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar and will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 313 Kms. "Today a landmark decision was made under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi- approving a new 57 km railway line for Amaravati. With Rs. 2,245 crore investment and a 3.2 km railway bridge on River Krishna, this project will bring Amaravati closer to Hyderabad, Chennai, kolkata and Nagpur. A huge step for connectivity and growth," said Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation and National general secretary of TDP, in a post on X. The Railway Ministry said that the doubling of Narkatiaganj-Raxaul-Sitamarhi-Darbhanga & Sitamarhi-Muzaffarpur Section will strengthen the connectivity to Nepal, and alternate connectivity to Chicken Neck region between Northern States & North-East and will facilitate the movement of passenger trains along with goods train resulting in the socio-economic growth of the region. The new rail line project Errupalem-Amaravati-Namburu traverses through NTR Vijayawada and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh and Khammam district of Telangana. The Ministry further said that the new Line project will provide connectivity to approx. 168 villages and about 12 Lakh population with 9 new stations. Multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to two Aspirational Districts (Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur) serving approx. 388 villages and about 9 lakh population. It will also help in the transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertilizer, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, etc. The Ministry claimed that it will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 31 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). "A new line of 57 kilometers has been approved to connect Amaravati with railways. This is a very ambitious project. Practically all the metro cities will get connected to Amaravati. If you recall the old days, when a city was getting constructed like Gandhinagar, for 40 years there was no rail connectivity. Now things have changed. As the city is being developed, we provide rail connectivity at the same time," said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways For the Bihar railway project, he said, "There are at least 40 Bridges in this project. It will cover East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur District. The project will cost Rs. 4553 crore. Due to this project, Bihar will now get connectivity to eastern ports. That means if any industry wants to come to Mithilanchal (North Bihar), then they will get the benefit of port connectivity," said the Minister.
