Chennai, Sept 1:
The Chennai-Howrah railway corridor is among seven high-density routes identified by the Indian Railways for expansion into four-track corridors, a move aimed at increasing train capacity, easing congestion and improving passenger and freight movement.
The seven corridors together cover around 11,000 km, accounting for about 16 per cent of the Indian Railways network but carrying nearly 41 per cent of the country’s total railway traffic, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The seven routes identified for the proposed four-tracking programme are:
– Chennai-Howrah
– Chennai-Mumbai
– Delhi-Chennai
– Delhi-Howrah
– Mumbai-Delhi
– Mumbai-Howrah
– Delhi-Guwahati
Three of the identified corridors — Chennai-Howrah, Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi-Chennai — are directly connected with Chennai, underlining the city’s importance as a major railway hub.
The proposed expansion is expected to address capacity constraints on some of the country’s busiest railway routes. Additional tracks would enable passenger and freight trains to operate with greater flexibility and reduce delays caused by congestion.
At present, limited track capacity on several high-density routes restricts the introduction of additional services. The expansion could provide greater scope for operating more Vande Bharat, express and other passenger trains.
The project is also expected to benefit freight movement by allowing goods trains to operate without significantly affecting passenger services.
The Railways is simultaneously undertaking various infrastructure projects, including track upgrades and station improvements, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s rail network.
With passenger and freight traffic expected to rise in the coming years, the proposed four-track corridors are aimed at creating additional capacity and improving operational efficiency across some of India’s most heavily used railway routes.