New Railway Line, Ongoing, Upcoming Railway Projects in Madhya Pradesh
New Railway Line, Ongoing, Upcoming Railway Projects in Madhya Pradesh
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 1553
ANSWERED ON: 27.11.2025
Rail Projects in Madhya Pradesh
Uday Pratap Singh
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:-
(a) the details of Rail projects implemented and pending in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh during the last three years and the current year;
(b) the details of funds allocated and utilised on the said project;
(c) the number of new rail lines laid or progressive related works done thereto in Madhya Pradesh during the last five years;
(d) whether the Government has taken any steps to expedite the completion of the said projects or conducted review thereof; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER- MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1553 BY SHRI UDAY PRATAP SINGH TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 27.11.2025 REGARDING RAIL PROJECTS IN MADHYA PRADESH
(a) to (c): Madhya Pradesh: 08 new line, 05 gauge conversion and 31 doubling projects covering a total length of 6776.87 Km costing Rs.84,689.02 crore falling fully/partly in the State of Madhya Pradesh are in different stages of planning/sanction/execution, out of which, 1152.61 Km length has been commissioned upto March 2025. An expenditure of Rs.15,471.24 crore has been incurred upto March 2025 and an outlay of Rs.4702.88 crore has been provided for these projects for the year 2025-20.
Out of these projects, 28 projects (3 new line and 25 doubling projects) covering a length of 3662.63 Km at a cost of Rs.48,802.06 crore have been included/sanctioned in the last 5 years and current year (from 2025-15 to 2025-19 & 2025-20).
Chhattisgarh: 08 new line and 09 doubling projects covering a total length of 2776.23 Km at a cost of Rs.34,265.95 crore falling fully/partly in the State of Chhattisgarh are in different stages of planning/sanction/execution, out of which, 384 Km length has been commissioned upto March 2025. An expenditure of Rs.6984.65 crore has been incurred upto March 2019 and an outlay of Rs.2926.92 crore has been provided for these projects for the year 2025-20.
Out of these projects, 08 projects (3 new line and 05 doubling projects) covering a length of 1103.65 Km at a cost of Rs.16449.45 crore have been included/sanctioned in the last 5 years and current year (from 2025-15 to 2025-19 & 2025-20).
The project-wise details of projects including expenditure and outlay are made available in public domain on Indian Railways website i.e. www.indianrailways.gov.in >Ministry of Railways > Railway Board > About Indian Railways > Railway Board Directorates > Finance (Budget).
(d) & (e): Thorough review of throughput enhancement projects out of 256, has been carried out and with focussed approach, the projects have been prioritized into Super Critical projects (58 Nos.), Critical Projects (68 Nos.) and other throughput enhancement projects (130 Nos.).
Presently, the balance length of Super Critical Projects is 2347 Km, 5676 Km of Critical Projects and 9703 Km of other projects. The throw-forward for these projects is of the order of Rs.1.84 lakh crores and all out sincere and focussed approach is being adopted by Railway for quick execution so as to get early returns to Railways.
The timely completion of any Railway project depends on various factors like quick land acquisition by State Government, forest clearance by officials of forest department, shifting of infringing utilities (both underground and over ground), statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the area of project site, number of working months in a year for particular project site due to climatic considerations, encountering unforeseen conditions like earthquake, flooding, excessive rains, strikes of labour, orders of Hon’ble Courts, situation and conditions of working agencies/contractors etc. and all these factors affect the completion of the project.
Therefore, confirmed timeline cannot be given. However, sincere efforts are being done to complete the project early.
For capacity enhancement projects, institutional financing arrangement has been done for Rs.1.5 lakh crore, which has increased Railways’ capacity for committed fund provision.
Here’s the most up-to-date overview of new, ongoing, and upcoming railway projects in Madhya Pradesh as of mid‑2025:
Contents
🚅 Major New Rail Lines & Greenfield Projects
1. Indore–Manmad New Rail Line (~309 km)
- Estimated Cost: ₹18,036 crore.
- Purpose: Direct rail link from Indore → Mumbai area via Maharashtra, easing freight and passenger flow.
- Status: ₹267.5 crore allocated for land acquisition (2025); passes through 77 villages across Dhar, Khargone, Barwani districts.
2. Indore–Dahod Line (~204 km)
- Under construction, linking Indore to Dahod in Gujarat.
- Includes a 2.9 km tunnel segment; partial opening expected by December 2025.
- Strategic for connecting Alirajpur, Dhar, Jhabua, and freight corridors to ports.
3. Chhota Udaipur–Dhar Line (~157 km)
- Neural gap project connecting Gujarat (Chhota Udaipur) with Dhar (MP).
- First section (Chhota Udaipur–Alirajpur) operational since Oct 2025; the remaining stretch toward Dhar under construction.
🔁 Multitracking & Capacity Expansion
• Itarsi–Nagpur 4th Line (~339 km track over 297 km route)
- Part of Delhi–Chennai High-Density Network.
- Approved at ₹5,451 crore; to support Madhya Pradesh districts Narmadapuram, Betul, Pandhurna.
- Projected to transport 10 million tonnes of additional cargo and save ₹1,206 crore in logistics cost.
• Ratlam–Nagda (41 km) & Wardha–Balharshah (135 km) third/fourth lines
- ₹3,399 crore boost approved by Cabinet, shared by MP & Maharashtra.
- Enhances freight capacity and decongests dense corridors.
🛤️ Doubling Projects & Final Location Surveys
• Mhow–Khandwa (112 km) and Dewas–Maksi (36 km)
- FLS approved with drone surveys scheduled.
- Rs 2.24M and Rs 0.72M allocated for surveys for these corridors respectively.
🏗️ Station Redevelopment & Infrastructure Boost
- ₹14,745 crore allocated to MP in the 2025–26 Budget:
- 31 new rail projects (~5,869 km).
- 80 stations being upgraded under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (~₹2,708 cr), including Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, and more.
- Modern facilities roll-out: 69 lifts, 41 escalators, free Wi‑Fi across 408 stations; advanced signallings like KAWACH to cover 3,572 route km in the state.
- Metro rail systems:
- Indore Metro (Yellow Line) inaugurated 31 May 2025 (6 km operational, full ring in progress).
- Bhopal Metro (Bhoj Metro) under construction; some segments expected by September 2025.
📋 Summary Table
| Project | Length | Status | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indore–Manmad New Line | ~309 km | ₹267 cr land allocated; under development | Seamless MP–Mumbai freight & passenger corridor |
| Indore–Dahod New Line | ~204 km | Tunnel work ongoing; partial launch by Dec 25 | Connects Dhar tribal region to MP–Gujarat corridor |
| Chhota Udaipur–Dhar | ~157 km | Partial operations; active construction | Gateway for tribal region to Western Rail routes |
| Itarsi–Nagpur 4th Line | Route 297 km / 339 km track | Cabinet-approved | Adds 10Mt freight/year, reduces congestion |
| Ratlam–Nagda / Wardha–Balharshah | 176 km total | Approved multitracking | Enhances freight capacity and link redundancy |
| Mhow–Khandwa & Dewas–Maksi | ~112 km + 36 km | Drone survey initiated | Prepping for future track doubling |
| Station Upgrades (80 stations) | — | Amrit Stations underway | Improved passenger amenities across MP hubs |
🧭 Strategic Outlook
- The state is poised for a rail transformation thanks to:
- New greenfield routes (Indore–Manmad, Indore–Dahod, Chhota Udaipur–Dhar).
- Higher-speed corridors and freight multitracking.
- Wide-ranging station redevelopment and rail modernization.
- Integrated with broader national initiatives like PM Gati Shakti, these projects boost economic development, tourism, INA connectivity, and tribal access.
Would you like:
- A map overlay of these corridors?
- Projected timelines and tender status for specific routes?
- Station-by-station redevelopment details or Metro connections for a city?
Happy to assist further!