VIJAYAWADA: In a major boost to regional logistics and rail capacity along Andhra Pradesh’s coastal corridor, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved four key railway multi-tracking projects worth an estimated `9,450 crore.
Central to Andhra Pradesh’s transit network is the approval of the 90-km Gummidipundi–Gudur 3rd and 4th line project, straddling the border districts of AP and Tamil Nadu.
The project aims to eliminate a major bottleneck on the trunk route connecting the southern peninsula to Eastern and Northern India, easing heavy passenger and freight congestion between Gudur and Chennai.
The overall capacity expansion across all four projects is projected to handle an additional freight capacity of 76 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), lowering logistics costs for regional industries.
Furthermore, the expansion in the AP-TN border is set to improve rail access for pilgrimage and eco-tourism hubs, notably the Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary and Pulicat Lake in Tirupati district, alongside heritage sites like the Lord Veeraraghava Perumal temple.
Planned under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the four approved projects will span 8 districts across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and West Bengal, expanding the national rail network by 410 km and improving multi-modal connectivity for nearly 6,448 villages with a combined population of 60 lakh.
Apart from the Gudur line, the CCEA approved three other multi-tracking projects focused heavily on the Eastern freight corridor: the Kharagpur–Bhadrak (Ranital) 4th Line (173 km), the Bhadrak–Haridaspur 4th Line (75 km), and the Cuttack–Paradeep (Badabandha) 3rd and 4th Line (72 km).
The combined multi-tracking initiative is expected to reduce national crude oil imports by approximately 13 crore litres and cut CO2 emissions by nearly 65 crore kg, equivalent of planting 2.60 crore trees.
Railways officials indicated that the increased capacity will improve overall service reliability for both passenger express trains and freight movement passing through AP.