New Delhi, Aug 26: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has outlined a plan to four-lane the country’s entire high-density railway network spanning nearly 11,000 km, with the seven key routes accounting for around 41 per cent of total railway traffic despite constituting only 16 per cent of the overall rail network.
The proposed expansion is aimed at significantly increasing capacity on some of the busiest railway routes in the country and supporting the growing movement of both passengers and freight.
The seven high-density routes identified for expansion connect several of the country’s major cities and regions. They include Delhi-Howrah, Howrah-Chennai, Chennai-Mumbai, Mumbai-Delhi, Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Howrah and Delhi-Guwahati.
The Railway Ministry said the ongoing expansion work is focused on creating four railway lines across the high-density network, enabling Indian Railways to handle increasing traffic and improve capacity on critical corridors.
Vaishnaw highlighted the importance of expanding rail infrastructure to meet future passenger and freight demand, particularly on routes that already carry a disproportionately large share of the country’s railway traffic.
The four-laning of the high-density network is also expected to strengthen freight movement, improve connectivity between major economic centres and support lower transport costs by creating additional rail capacity.
The minister also underlined the environmental advantages of rail transport, stressing its role in supporting cleaner and more sustainable mobility.
The expansion of the seven high-density routes forms part of the broader effort to create a higher-capacity railway network capable of meeting the country’s future transportation requirements, while improving the efficiency and environmental sustainability of passenger and freight movement.
