New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the Centre was committed to improving the railway network in Bihar. The Prime Minister’s statement came soon after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by him, approved a Rs 2,192 crore project to double a 104 km railway line from Bakhtiyarpur to Tilaiya in Bihar. “We are committed to enhancing rail connectivity in Bihar. In this direction, today our government has approved the doubling of the Bakhtiyarpur-Rajgir-Tilaiya railway line section. This will benefit the people of the entire region as well as pilgrims and tourists,” PM Modi said in a post in X. The project covering four districts in Bihar will also provide rail connectivity to prominent destinations such as Rajgir (Shanti Stupa), Nalanda and Pawapuri attracting pilgrims and tourists from across the country. Multi-tracking projects will enhance connectivity to around 1,434 villages and about 13.46 lakh population and two aspirational districts of Gaya and Nawada, according to an official statement.

The project is planned on PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan with focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity & logistic efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultations. These projects will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods, and services, the statement said. This is an essential route for transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, clinker and fly ash. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 26 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). The multi-tracking proposal will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across Indian Railways.

The Railways being an environment-friendly and energy efficient mode of transport will help both in achieving climate goals and minimising logistics cost of the country. The projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a New India which will make people of the region “Atmanirbhar” by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment opportunities, the statement added.