Fourth rail track to be laid between Sabarmati, Vatva

The Union Budget for 2024-25 has made provision for a fourth line between Sabarmati, Ahmedabad and Vatva stations. 

It also provided for track doubling on the Mehsana-Palanpur section, the only section without double tracks between Ahmedabad and Delhi.

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, speaking to reporters through video conferencing, said that this year Rs 8,587 crore has been allocated for Gujarat, which is 14 times the annual outlay of 2009-14. Govt completed track laying for 701km every year compared to 132km per year between 2009-14.

Vaishnaw said investment of Rs 30,789 crore is being made in Gujarat and about 97% of routes here are electrified. 

Some 856 road over bridges and under bridges were built in the last 10 years.

Vaishnaw announced that the budget has cleared the projects for quadrupling of lines such as Samakhiali-Gandhidham, Dahod-Indore, Chhota Udepur-Dhar and Bhimnath-Dholera. 

It will also cover gauge conversion and electrification on the Bhuj-Naliya, Modasa-Shamlaji, Ahmedabad-Himmatnagar-Udaipur, Kalol-Kotasan Road and Karjan-Samalaya stretches.

Gauge conversion will also be carried out on the Nadiad-Petlad, Petlad-Bhadran, Himmatnagar-Khedbrahma, Adraj Moti-Vijapur, Vijapur-Ambliyasan, Bhildi-Viramgam, Shapur-Saradiya and Somnath-Kodinar stretches.

The budget papers say the Ahmedabad-Mehsana, Khijadiya-Amreli, Karjan-Malsar, Jambusar-Kavi and Kosamba-Umarpada stretches are also listed for gauge conversion.