Indian Railways has approved the construction of a 14.52-km third railway line between Nimpura West Outer Cabin and Midnapur on the South Eastern Railway at an estimated cost of ₹440 crore, a move aimed at boosting capacity on one of the country’s key freight corridors.
The project is part of Railways’ ongoing efforts to augment capacity on high-density routes to facilitate faster movement of passenger and freight trains while meeting the growing transportation requirements of industries and essential commodities.
The sanctioned project involves laying a third line on the 14.52-km stretch between Nimpura West Outer Cabin and Midnapur. The section is part of the High Utilisation Network (HUN-2), where the Nimpura West Outer Cabin–Gokulpur stretch currently operates as a single line, while doubling work is already under progress. The additional third line is expected to significantly enhance line capacity and improve operational flexibility along this strategically important route.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the corridor handles substantial volumes of both passenger and freight traffic. It is a key route for transporting commodities such as coal, iron ore, manganese, containers, clinker, pellet iron, iron and steel, wheat, stone, sleepers, slag, salt, rice, petroleum products, limestone, gypsum, fertilisers, edible oil, chemical salt, charcoal, cement, ballast and ash.
The route currently records an annual freight loading of nearly 23.80 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). However, with line capacity utilisation reaching 115.71 per cent, the section is operating well beyond its designed capacity, resulting in congestion and operational constraints.
The new third line is expected to ease these bottlenecks by creating additional capacity for both passenger and freight services. Upon completion, the project is projected to support an additional freight movement of 3.52 million tonnes per annum, strengthening the transportation of key industrial and essential commodities across the region.
The Ministry said the enhanced infrastructure will improve operational efficiency, reduce congestion, increase network reliability and strengthen connectivity for industries and businesses that depend on this important rail corridor.
The approval is part of the national transporter’s continued focus on expanding capacity across high-density rail routes to support economic growth through faster, more efficient and future-ready railway infrastructure.
