Indian Railways clears ₹493 crore Gujarat doubling, ₹172 crore Maharashtra chord line
Synopsis
Indian Railways has greenlit three infrastructure projects in a single day — a ₹493 crore line doubling in Gujarat's Kutch, a ₹172 crore chord line to bypass congested Panvel Junction in Maharashtra, and a ₹139 crore bridge rebuild in Indore. The Maharashtra project is the most operationally significant: it cuts 110 minutes per freight train and unlocks capacity at a junction that feeds the port handling 60 per cent of India's container traffic.
Key Takeaways
Indian Railways approved the Adipur-Bhuj Doubling Project in Gujarat at ₹493 crore on 17 June , covering 49 km on the Gandhidham-Naliya corridor.
The Gujarat project adds 2 passenger train services per direction daily and 12 MTPA of additional freight capacity.
The 3.7-km Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line in Maharashtra , approved at ₹172 crore , will allow freight trains to bypass Panvel Junction entirely.
The chord line is projected to save 110 minutes of detention per freight train and add 9 MTPA of capacity — critical for JNPA , which handles 60% of India's container traffic.
The Shastriya Bridge road over bridge in Indore Yard, Madhya Pradesh , has been sanctioned for reconstruction at ₹139 crore .
Indian Railways on Wednesday, 17 June approved two major infrastructure projects — the Adipur-Bhuj Doubling Project in Gujarat's Kutch region at ₹493 crore and the Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line in Maharashtra at ₹172 crore — aimed at expanding freight capacity and decongesting one of Mumbai's busiest rail junctions. A third approval covers the rebuilding of the Shastriya Bridge road over bridge in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, at ₹139 crore.
Adipur-Bhuj Doubling: What Changes in Kutch
The 49-km doubling project converts the existing single-line Adipur-Bhuj section of Western Railway — part of the Gandhidham-Naliya corridor — into a double-line route. Once commissioned, it will enable two additional passenger train services in each direction daily and unlock an additional 12 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight capacity.
The sanction comes as several interconnected projects in the region near completion, including the Bhuj-Naliya Gauge Conversion, extension of the Naliya-Vayor line, and new lines connecting Naliya-Jakhau, Vayor-Lakhpat, and Deshalpar-Luna. Traffic volumes on the Bhuj-Adipur section are expected to rise sharply once these links become operational, making the doubling a capacity pre-emption rather than a reactive fix.
Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line: Bypassing Panvel Junction
The 3.7-km Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line on Central Railway will bridge a missing link between Chikhli on the Karjat route and Somtane on the Roha route. At present, trains operating between these two corridors must enter Panvel Junction — one of the busiest junctions in the Mumbai region, handling traffic from four directions including Roha, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Karjat, and Diva — and undergo engine reversals before proceeding.
The chord line will eliminate that detour entirely. According to official figures, it is expected to facilitate movement of an additional 9 MTPA of freight and save approximately 110 minutes of detention time per freight train, significantly improving logistics turnaround. The project carries particular strategic weight given that JNPA handles nearly 60 per cent of India's container traffic.
Shastriya Bridge Rebuild in Indore
Indian Railways also cleared the reconstruction of the Shastriya Bridge road over bridge at Indore Yard in Madhya Pradesh at a cost of ₹139 crore. The project falls under the railways' ongoing programme for modernisation of road over bridges and road under bridges, targeting improved urban mobility and safety at rail-road crossings.
Broader Infrastructure Push
All three approvals are part of Indian Railways' continuing capacity augmentation drive — spanning doubling, tripling, gauge conversion, and network extension works — to support anticipated growth in both passenger and freight traffic. This comes amid a sustained push by the Centre to expand rail infrastructure across states, with freight logistics and port connectivity emerging as priority corridors. The projects are at varying stages of pre-construction, with timelines for commissioning yet to be formally announced.
Point of View
But because Panvel Junction's congestion has long been a structural bottleneck for JNPA freight, which moves 60 per cent of India's containerised exports. A 110-minute saving per freight train, compounded across hundreds of weekly movements, is a logistics multiplier that dwarfs the headline cost. The Kutch doubling, meanwhile, is a forward bet: sanctioned ahead of demand, it reflects a policy shift toward pre-emptive capacity building rather than the reactive approach that left several corridors saturated for years. The real question is execution speed — Indian Railways has a strong record of sanctions and a more uneven record of commissioning on schedule.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Adipur-Bhuj Doubling Project in Gujarat?
It is a 49-km rail doubling project on the Adipur-Bhuj section of Western Railway in Gujarat's Kutch region , sanctioned at ₹493 crore . It will add two passenger train services per direction daily and enable an additional 12 MTPA of freight movement on the Gandhidham-Naliya corridor.
How will the Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line help decongest Panvel Junction?
The 3.7-km chord line will provide a direct connection between the Karjat and Roha corridors, allowing freight trains to bypass Panvel Junction without engine reversals. This is expected to save approximately 110 minutes of detention per freight train and add 9 MTPA of capacity.
Why is the Somtane-Chikhli project important for JNPA?
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) handles nearly 60 per cent of India's container traffic, and freight trains serving it currently face operational delays due to mandatory routing through congested Panvel Junction . The chord line will allow these trains to bypass the junction, improving turnaround times and logistics efficiency.
What is the Shastriya Bridge project in Indore?
It is the reconstruction of the Shastriya Bridge road over bridge at Indore Yard in Madhya Pradesh , sanctioned at ₹139 crore . The project aims to improve urban road-rail connectivity and safety under Indian Railways' ongoing bridge modernisation programme.
When will these railway projects be completed?
Official commissioning timelines have not yet been announced for any of the three projects. All are at the sanction stage, with construction schedules expected to be detailed once ground-level work begins.
