The central government has stepped up rail infrastructure work in Madhya Pradesh over the past decade, with budget allocations and track commissioning rising sharply, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
โThe budget allocation for projects and safety works in Madhya Pradesh has increased more than 23 times compared to 2009-14,โ Vaishnaw said. โWe are working on 24 projects in the state, including new lines, gauge conversions, and track doubling.โ
According to government data, Madhya Pradesh saw the commissioning of 2,651 km of new track between 2014 and 2025, compared to 145 km between 2009 and 2014.
As of April 1, 2025, projects totaling 4,740 km and costing โน89,543 crore are at various stages of planning and execution. Of these, 2,092 km have already been completed, with โน41,401 crore spent so far.
Status of Railway Projects in Madhya Pradesh
| S.No | Name of Project | Length (Km) | Latest / Sanctioned Cost (โน crore) |
| 1 | GunaโEtawah New Line | 348 | 683 |
| 2 | JabalpurโGondia Gauge Conversion | 300 | 2,005 |
| 3 | ChhindwaraโNagpur Gauge Conversion | 150 | 1,512 |
| 4 | ChhindwaraโMandla Fort Gauge Conversion | 182 | 1,268 |
| 5 | Ghat PindariโBalkheda Doubling | 6 | 29 |
| 6 | GunaโRuthiyai Doubling | 20 | 175 |
| 7 | KhodriโAnuppur Doubling | 62 | 489 |
| 8 | Jukhei Chord line (Katni Yard Bypass) | 2 | 12 |
| 9 | SontalaiโBagratawa Doubling | 7 | 110 |
| 10 | ItarsiโBudhni 3rd Line | 25 | 286 |
| 11 | TeegaonโChichonda Ghat Section 3rd Line | 17 | 176 |
| 12 | BhopalโBina 3rd Line | 145 | 1,075 |
| 13 | BarkheraโHabibganj 3rd Line | 41 | 473 |
| 14 | NagdaโUjjain Doubling of Gambhir Bridge | 2 | 28 |
| 15 | Pendra RoadโAnuppur 3rd Line | 50 | 394 |
| 16 | BinaโKota Doubling | 283 | 2,477 |
| 17 | NimachโChittaurgarh Doubling | 56 | 560 |
| 18 | KhodriโAnuppur Doubling with Bilaspur Flyover | 72 | 792 |
| 19 | BudhniโBarkhera 3rd Line | 27 | 1,703 |
| 20 | IndoreโUjjain Doubling | 79 | 757 |
| 21 | PowerkhedaโJujharpur Single Line Flyover (UP direction) | 16 | 443 |
| 22 | AnuppurโKatni 3rd Line | 165 | 2,311 |
| 23 | RamnaโSingrauli Doubling | 160 | 2,436 |
| 24 | Karaila RoadโShaktinagar Doubling | 32 | 763 |
| 25 | MalkhediโMahadeokhedi Doubling | 12 | 59 |
The minister confirmed that the third line between Bina and Katni has been approved and is nearly finished. โOut of 260 km, 235 km have been commissioned. Work is ongoing in the remaining section,โ Vaishnaw said.
He explained that the BinaโKatni section is a heavily used route on the West Central Railway and is under pressure from increased train movements, new industries, upcoming thermal power plants, and an oil refinery. โOnce the third line is commissioned, we can operate more passenger and freight trains, reducing congestion and delays,โ he said.
Major Ongoing and Sanctioned Projects
| S.No | Project | Length (Km) | Sanctioned Cost (โน crore) |
| 1 | ManmadโIndore New Line (excluding DhuleโNardana) | 309 | 16,320 |
| 2 | RamganjmandiโBhopal New Line | 189 | 5,073 |
| 3 | IndoreโBudni New Line | 198 | 7,474 |
| 4 | LalitpurโSatna, RewaโSingrauli & MahobaโKhajuraho New Line | 541 | 8,914 |
| 5 | DahodโIndore New Line | 205 | 4,095 |
| 6 | Chhota UdepurโDhar New Line | 147 | 1,794 |
| 7 | NimachโBadi Sadri New Line | 48 | 495 |
| 8 | GwaliorโSheopurkalan Gauge Conversion with extension to Kota | 284 | 2,913 |
| 9 | RatlamโAkola Gauge Conversion | 525 | 6,384 |
| 10 | ItarsiโNagpur 3rd Line | 280 | 2,450 |
| 11 | JhansiโBina 3rd Line | 153 | 2,002 |
| 12 | MathuraโJhansi 3rd Line | 274 | 5,924 |
| 13 | JhansiโManikpur & KhirarโBhimsen Doubling | 431 | 4,330 |
| 14 | KatniโBina 3rd Line | 260 | 3,138 |
| 15 | Katni Grade Separator / Bypass | 35 | 2,300 |
| 16 | KatniโSingrauli Doubling | 257 | 4,377 |
| 17 | SatnaโRewa Doubling | 50 | 590 |
| 18 | Ruthiyai Bypass Line | 3 | 54 |
| 19 | Guna Bypass Line | 2 | 179 |
| 20 | NimachโRatlam Doubling | 133 | 1,096 |
| 21 | Ujjain Flyover | 2 | 100 |
| 22 | ShahdolโSinghpur Doubling | 6 | 54 |
| 23 | BhusawalโKhandwa 3rd & 4th Line | 131 | 3,285 |
The government says railway projects are prioritized based on traffic projections, operational needs, and socio-economic considerations. Completion timelines depend on factors such as land acquisition, forest clearances, and local law and order.
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