The Indian government has approved an expansion programme for four central railway corridors with a total volume of around €1.1 billion (INR 111.7 billion). The programme includes the construction of a total of 574 km of additional tracks in the federal states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, with completion scheduled for 2029. Specifically, the Aurangabad – Parbhani line will be expanded to double track, third and fourth tracks will be built between Aluabari Road and New Jalpaiguri as well as on the Daangoaposi – Jaroli line, and a fourth track will be added between Itarsi and Nagpur. The lines concerned are of central importance for rail freight transport, in particular for the transport of coal, cement, containers, agricultural products and petroleum. The additional tracks are expected to enable an additional 95.9 million t of rail freight transport volume per year, reduce oil imports by 1.6 million l and cut CO₂ emissions by 5,200 t.
