Cabinet Approves ₹9,450 Crore Rail Multitracking Projects

Exam-focused facts from the 21 August 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved four rail multitracking projects worth about ₹9,450 crore.
The projects will add about 410 km to the Indian Railways network across West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
The projects are planned for completion by 2030-31.
The capacity augmentation is expected to enable additional freight traffic of 76 million tonnes per annum.
The projects are expected to reduce oil imports by around 13 crore litres and lower carbon dioxide emissions by around 65 crore kg.
The additional rail connectivity will benefit around 6,448 villages with a combined population of about 60 lakh.
The projects have been planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.