Cabinet Approves Shortest Rail Connectivity Between Mumbai and Indore

Mumbai, 3rd September 2024: Travel between Mumbai and Indore will get faster. The Indian Railways journey between these cities will soon be shorter, thanks to a newly approved railway line project. On Monday, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave the green light for a new project that promises to establish the “shortest rail connectivity between Mumbai and Indore.”

This new railway line between Indore and Manmad will be built at Rs 18,036 crore. It will traverse six districts across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, expanding the Indian Railways network by 309 kilometres and featuring the construction of 30 new railway stations.

The project is expected to create direct employment opportunities equivalent to approximately 102 lakh man-days during its construction phase. It is a key initiative under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity, emphasizing integrated planning for seamless movement of people, goods, and services.

In addition to enhancing regional connectivity, the new line will benefit the aspirational district of Barwani and connect around 1,000 villages, serving a population of about 30 lakh. According to a government press release, the project will also boost tourism by providing a shorter route between the western and southwestern parts of the country and central India. This will likely increase visitor numbers to popular tourist and religious destinations in the Ujjain-Indore region, including the famous Sri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.

Furthermore, the new line will directly connect the Pithampur Auto Cluster, home to 90 large units and 700 small and medium industries, to the gateway port of JNPA and other state ports. It will also link key agricultural districts, including millet-producing areas in Madhya Pradesh and onion-producing regions in Maharashtra, facilitating easier distribution of these goods to northern and southern India.

This route will play a vital role in transporting various commodities, such as agricultural produce, fertilizers, containers, iron ore, steel, cement, and POL (petroleum, oil, and lubricants). The project’s capacity expansion is projected to generate an additional freight traffic volume of approximately 26 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).