Bihar railway and road connectivity projects get cabinet nod

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two transport infrastructure projects worth over Rs 7,000 crore to improve connectivity in Bihar and adjoining states Wednesday. Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur High-Speed Corridor on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) covering 82.4 km for Rs. 4,447.38 crore got the cabinet nod. Doubling of Bhagalpur – Dumka – Rampurhat single railway line Section (177 km) in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal for Rs.3,169 crore also got approved.

“These projects will better connectivity in Bihar and adjoining regions,” said Union Railways, Information Technology, and Information Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The railway project covers five districts across Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. It will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 177 kilometres.

An official statement said this is an essential route for transport of coal, cement, fertilizers, bricks and stones. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of 15 Million Tonnes Per Annum.

The approved highway section provides connectivity to Mokama, Barahiya, Lakhisarai, Jamalpur, Munger connecting to Bhagalpur. It is a key industrial region focusing on ordinance factories, locomotive workshops, food processing units and related logistics and warehousing hubs. Bhagalpur is also a textile and logistics hub, led by its silk industry.