Freight multitrack greenlit

India’s cabinet cleared ₹24,815 crore for two rail multitracking projects on April 18, adding 601 kilometers of route capacity in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. (pib.gov.in) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a 403-kilometer third and fourth line from Ghaziabad to Sitapur and a 198-kilometer third and fourth line from Rajahmundry, at Nidadavolu, to Visakhapatnam, at Duvvada. The projects carry estimated costs of ₹14,926 crore and ₹9,889 crore, with completion targeted by 2030-31. (pib.gov.in) Multitracking means adding extra tracks on an existing corridor so more trains can run without waiting for crossings or overtakes. The government said these two projects would expand the network by about 601 kilometers and add 1,317 kilometers of total track. (pib.gov.in) The Ghaziabad-Sitapur section is part of the Delhi-Guwahati high-density network, where the government said line use is already as high as 168% and would reach 207% without expansion. The Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam section sits on a freight-heavy east-coast route that carries bulk cargo and port traffic. (pib.gov.in) The ministry listed coal, foodgrains, cement, petroleum products, iron and steel, containers, fertilizers, sugar, chemical salts and limestone among the commodities expected to move on the upgraded lines. Those are the loads that slow down when passenger and freight trains compete for the same slots on saturated routes. (pib.gov.in) Indian Railways is pushing these additions as part of a wider freight-capacity buildout. In February 2026, the cabinet approved three more multitracking projects worth ₹18,509 crore, and in October 2025 it cleared four projects worth ₹24,634 crore. (pib.gov.in 1) (pib.gov.in 2) That pipeline fits the National Rail Plan, which targets a 45% rail share in India’s freight traffic by 2030, up from 27% cited by the rail ministry in 2022. The plan also calls for capacity to be built ahead of demand and for freight-train speeds to rise to 50 kilometers per hour. (pib.gov.in 1) (pib.gov.in 2) (pib.gov.in 3) The freight base is already large. Indian Railways said it originated about 1,617.38 million tonnes of freight in fiscal year 2024-25, up from 1,590.68 million tonnes a year earlier, with domestic coal and container traffic both growing. (pib.gov.in) The government is also framing the projects as part of its PM Gati Shakti logistics plan and as a climate measure. In this case, it said the two projects would lower carbon dioxide emissions by 180.31 crore kilograms, equivalent to planting 7.33 crore trees. (pib.gov.in) The immediate test is execution: the cabinet has now set a 2030-31 deadline on two corridors where traffic is already running past comfortable limits. If construction stays on schedule, the payoff comes in the form of more freight slots on some of India’s busiest rail arteries. (pib.gov.in)