Union Cabinet gives nod to 4th line on Wardha-Ballarshah route

In a major boost to economic activity in region, Union Cabinet has given nod for 4th corridor on Wardha-Ballarshah route. The 132 km route is already seeing completion of 3rd line and now, the clearance to another corridor is in anticipation of increased movement of goods and long distance passenger carrying trains. Currently, more than 80 per cent physical work on 3rd line has been completed with Chitoda-Sonegaon, Sonegaon-Hinganghat, Sewagram-Chitoda, Chikni Road-Majri and Tadali-Ballarshah have been opened for traffic.

 

Along with this route, the Cabinet also sanctioned 3rd and 4th line proposal for Ratlam-Nagda in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. As of now, the estimated cost of the two projects is pegged at Rs 3,399 crore and they will be completed upto 2029-30. The Railway Minister Ashwini Vaisnaw said, the Wardha-Ballarshah route work would be completed by utilising Rs 2,318 crore. As per PIB release, the two projects are part of PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity with stress on providing seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services. The two projects will cover four districts across the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 176 kms. The proposed multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to around 784 villages, with a population base of about 19.74 lakh.

 

These are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, clinker, gypsum, fly ash, containers, agriculture commodities, and petroleum products, etc. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 18.40 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). The Railways being environment-friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimising logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (20 crore litres) and lower CO2 emissions (99 crore kg), which is equivalent to plantation of 4 crore trees. These initiatives will improve travel convenience, reduce logistic cost, decrease oil imports and contribute to lower CO2 emissions, supporting sustainable and efficient rail operations.

 

The projects would also enhance logistical efficiency by augmenting line capacity along critical routes for transportation of containers, coal, cement, agricultural commodities, and other goods. These improvements are expected to optimise supply chains, thereby facilitating accelerated economic growth. The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion. As to Wardha-Ballarshah, it is a high-density route, being common to movement of coal and other minerals plus passenger trains whose number are increasing over the years. One more salient point of the route is that it partially comes under Grand Trunk and the other being connected to Mumbai-Howrah route.

 

The increased corridors would help the Railways in long run to decongest and is part of move to accelerate the speed of goods as well as passenger trains. The coal and cement movement on Wardha-Ballarshah corridor plus in future post development of steel industries in Gadchiroli, would boost the goods movement on the route. From operations point of view, the additional lines mainly would ensure dedicated movement of freight about which Railways have drawn up ambitious plan with an aim to increase its share in national transport sector.