The Union Government has approved a series of new railway projects aimed at improving cargo movement and connectivity to three ports in eastern India. According to a reply to a question by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Rajya Sabha, all three ports— Paradip, Dhamra, and Kolkata (Haldia) —are already connected to the Indian Railways network, but further enhancements have been sanctioned or are under active study.
For Paradip Port in Odisha, five separate works are underway or planned. These include the sanctioned third and fourth lines between Paradip and Badabandha (19 km), a rail flyover between Paradip and Siju, and the Cuttack-Paradip automatic signaling project.
Survey has also been sanctioned for a third and fourth line between Cuttack and Badabandha (72 km). Further, survey work of doubling between Haridaspur-Paradip (74 Km) has been completed and DPR has been prepared.
For Dhamra Port in Odisha, survey work has been initiated for a new 96 km rail line connecting Jajpur Keonjhar Road to the port via Jajpur and Aradi. For Haldia Port in Kolkata, the Railway Ministry has sanctioned a survey for a third and fourth line between Tamluk and Panskura.
The minister stated that project approvals are based on several factors including commercial viability, traffic projections, operational needs, state demands, and socio-economic considerations, subject to fund availability and existing project commitments.
