Photo for representation
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the expansion will improve connectivity to around 2,121 villages, which have a population of about 52 lakh. This capacity augmentation, the railway minister said, will aid additional freight traffic of 47 million tonnes per annum. Bengaluru: Union cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by PM Narendra Modi , Wednesday approved a crucial rail quadrupling project for Karnataka as part of PM-Gati Shakti national master plan. He added that these projects will improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations such as Tirupati, KGF, Hogenakkal Falls, Hosur Fort, Mettur Dam, Kodaikanal Hills and Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary. Once completed, the expansion could also benefit the transportation of commodities such as coal, cement, iron and steel, containers, automobiles, food grains, petroleum products and fertilisers.