NPG Reviews Rail, Road Projects Under PM GatiShakti Plan

Under the Ministry of Railways, proposals included the construction of third and fourth railway lines on several high-density corridors. These include the 76.56 km Arakkonam–Renigunta section across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which forms part of Mission 3,000 MT and the Amrit Chaturbhuj programme, and the doubling of the 66.67 km Erode–Karur line in Tamil Nadu to ease congestion and support passenger and freight growth. Additional capacity expansion was proposed on the Guntakal–Bellary (45.92 km) and Guntakal–Wadi (around 230 km) sections, critical freight corridors serving major steel, cement, power and mining industries across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.

The NPG also assessed the doubling of the 159.26 km Salem–Karur–Dindigul corridor, a key industrial and energy route in Tamil Nadu, as well as the construction of third and fourth lines between Yadadri and Kazipet and a fourth line between Ghatkesar and Yadadri in Telangana. These routes form part of a high-traffic density corridor with strong road and airport connectivity and are vital for passenger and freight movement across South India. Another proposal involved an electrified multi-tracking line between Talegaon and Uruli in Pune district, Maharashtra, designed to support industrial clusters, logistics hubs and integration with major rail routes and upcoming terminals.

From the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the NPG reviewed the proposal to upgrade NH-544D from Vinukonda to Guntur, terminating at the Amaravati Outer Ring Road in Andhra Pradesh. The project involves widening the highway to four lanes with paved shoulders over nearly 86 km, combining brownfield and greenfield stretches. Once completed, it is expected to reduce travel time by nearly 52 per cent, lower logistics costs and strengthen connectivity between key urban centres, including Guntur, Vijayawada and Amaravati.

The meeting was chaired by the Joint Secretary (Logistics) at the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, reflecting the continued focus on coordinated infrastructure planning under the PM GatiShakti framework