By IANS
New Delhi : The 809-km Barauni-Katihar-Guwahati section of the East Central and North East Frontier Railways will be electrified soon, the government announced Thursday.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the railway ministry proposal, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said.
“The electrification of Barauni-Katihar-Guwahati rail track will facilitate long distance freight and passenger trains, including Rajdhani and Garib Rath Express,” Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting.
According to the minister, the move is expected to “cater to the anticipated increase in passenger and freight traffic by 2012 and offset requirement of imported crude and diesel, in addition to environmental benefits that accrue”.
The announcement comes days ahead of the presentation of the railway budget on Feb 26.
Railway officials said the proposal was mentioned in Railway Minister Lalu Prasad’s last budget speech. “But work on the project will commence only next financial year,” said an official.
The entire project is expected to cost Rs.5.05 billion, of which an allocation of Rs.250 million is to be set aside by the railways in the 2008-09 budget, he disclosed.