Cabinet approves doubling of Daund-Manmad and Barabanki-

The Cabinet today approved the doubling of the Daund-Manmad and Barabanki-Akbarpur railway lines to ease movement of passengers and goods along these stretches in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
The doubling project will ensure higher speeds, reduce train delays, enhance safety by allowing more time for block maintenance, and provide capacity for any future increase in traffic.
The railway line on Daund-Manmad route is likely to be completed in the next five years. The estimated cost of the project is approximately Rs 2,081.27 crore and completion cost is Rs 2,330.51 crore.
"It will greatly ease passenger and freight traffic and decongest the Daund-Manmad route, which is a critical section for trains from North India to South India via Pune and for pilgrims going to the famous pilgrimage destinations of Shirdi and Shani-Shignapur," the Ministry of Railways said in a press statement.

The project will also ease railway congestion in Mumbai as trains can be diverted to this route. It is expected to benefit Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik districts of Maharashtra.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the 161 km long Barabanki-Akbarpur doubling project at a completion cost of Rs 1,310.23 crore. It too is likely to be completed in the next five years.
The project will cover the districts of Barabanki and Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh and will benefit the entire route from Lucknow to Varanasi via Faizabad, as per the railway ministry.