New Delhi [India], January 19 (HBTV): In a major push to strengthen rail connectivity in Chhattisgarh, the Government of India has accelerated multiple new railway line projects in the Ambikapur region, the Lok Sabha was informed.
The information was shared by Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to an unstarred question raised by Member of Parliament Chintamani Maharaj.
The Minister said surveys conducted by the South East Central Railway’s Bilaspur Division have already progressed, and steps are underway for approvals of new railway lines passing through Ambikapur. He informed that three key projects aimed at improving connectivity to the region have made significant progress.
The Boridand–Ambikapur (Surajpur) doubling project, spanning 80 kilometres, has been taken up for execution. Detailed Project Reports have been prepared for the 262-kilometre Ambikapur–Ramanujganj–Barwadih new line, including a spur to Garhwa Road, and for the 218-kilometre Sardega–Pathalgaon–Ambikapur new line.
Vaishnaw highlighted a sharp rise in budget allocation for railway infrastructure and safety works in Chhattisgarh. The allocation, which stood at INR 311 crore per year during 2009–2014, has increased to INR 6,925 crore in 2025–26, marking an increase of over twenty-two times.
He also noted a significant increase in the pace of track commissioning in the state. While only 32 kilometres of track were commissioned between 2009 and 2014, averaging 6.4 kilometres per year, a total of 1,189 kilometres were commissioned between 2014 and 2025, averaging 108.1 kilometres per year, an increase of more than fifteen times.
As of April 1, 2025, a total of 26 railway projects, including six new lines and 20 doubling or multi-tracking projects, covering 1,931 kilometres at a cost of INR 31,619 crore, have been sanctioned in Chhattisgarh. Of this, 1,023 kilometres have already been commissioned, and expenditure of INR 16,325 crore has been incurred up to March 2025.
The Minister further informed that during the last three years and the current financial year—2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26—26 new railway line surveys covering 3,901 kilometres have been sanctioned in the South East Central Railway, including routes passing through Ambikapur.
He said the sanction of railway projects depends on multiple parameters, including anticipated traffic, economic viability, first- and last-mile connectivity, bridging missing links, capacity augmentation of congested routes, demands from state governments and public representatives, operational requirements of Indian Railways, socio-economic considerations and availability of funds.
Vaishnaw added that project completion timelines are influenced by factors such as land acquisition, forest clearances, shifting of utilities, statutory approvals, geological and topographical conditions, law and order situations and the number of workable months at project sites.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening rail infrastructure in Chhattisgarh and ensuring steady progress of all sanctioned projects in the Ambikapur region. (ANI)