Railway Connectivity Projects
Railway Connectivity Projects
Overview
Railway Connectivity Projects are Indian Railways’ mega-infrastructure drives aimed at linking unconnected state capitals, major ports, religious & industrial hubs, border/NE areas and doubling/tripling saturated trunk routes. They are financed through Extra-Budgetary Resources (IRFC), Gross Budgetary Support, PPP, JVs with state governments and cost-sharing with ministries like Coal, Steel & Defence. Key umbrellas: Mission 2024 (Capitals & Ports), PM-Gati Shakki, Bharatmala & Amrit Bharat Stations.
Key Facts & Figures
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1 | Total length of Indian Railways (31 Mar 2024) |
| 2 | Running track-km (2024) |
| 3 | Stations in network |
| 4 | States/UTs still not connected by BG rail |
| 5 | New Line projects sanctioned 2014-24 |
| 6 | Doubling projects sanctioned 2014-24 |
| 7 | Gauge-conversion pending (Mar 2024) |
| 8 | Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla (USBRL) cost |
| 9 | Chenab bridge (USBRL) height & length |
| 10 | Bogibeel bridge (Assam) length |
| 11 | Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) total length |
| 12 | Electrified network (Mar 2024) |
| 13 | Average speed of Goods train (2023-24) |
| 14 | Kavach (Train-Collision avoidance) sanctioned |
| 15 | Amrit Bharat Station count |
| 16 | PM-Gati Shakti Multi-modal cargo terminals |
| 17 | RailWire Wi-Fi enabled stations |
| 18 | Station categorisation for viability |
| 19 | Highest railway bridge (world) |
| 20 | Longest tunnel of Indian Railways |
Important Points
- Mission Antyodaya – 100 % rail connectivity to aspirational districts by 2025.
- Bharatmala Pariyojana synergy – 66 rail-road parallel projects worth ₹2.3 lakh cr.
- PM-Gati Shakti 7 engines – Railways, Roads, Ports, Air, Mass-Transit, Waterways, Logistics infra.
- Station redevelopment follows PPP & EPC mode; 50-year concession; no OFS land cost.
- DFC augments 45 % national freight share; expected to raise average goods speed to 70 km/h.
- USBRL made Kashmir accessible in all weather; 27 bridges & 37 tunnels (48 % alignment underground).
- Electrification saves ₹18,000 cr/yr in diesel bill; IR targets Net-Zero by 2030.
- NFR’s Chicken Neck area (Siliguri corridor) triple-line sanctioned under critical connectivity.
- Port connectivity – 15 Major ports linked to DFC; last mile to Paradip, Deendayal, Tuticorin underway.
- NE special package – ₹74,000 cr outlay; 20 line projects, 13 new BG lines since 2014.
- RORO & Roll-on ferry services started on Digha-Jaleswar & Ghoga-Dahej to bypass congested routes.
- Kavach is SIL-4 certified; manufactured by 3 firms – HBL, Kernex, Medha.
- Gati Shakti cargo terminals allow private siding owners 25-year lease & 50 % freight rebate first 5 yrs.
- Amrit Bharat stations retain heritage façade; concourse redeveloped to 24×7 airport-like plaza.
- RailTel provides OFC redundancy along 62,000 Rkm; enables 5G readiness & Kavach backhaul.
Frequently Asked in Exams
- Which two states are yet to get BG rail connectivity? – Meghalaya & Mizoram.
- World’s highest rail bridge located on which river? – Chenab (J&K).
- Total length & two corridors of DFC. – 2,843 km (EDFC, WDFC).
- Financing pattern of USBRL project. – 90 % Central share + 10 % J&K UT.
- Target year for 100 % electrification of IR network. – December 2024.
Practice MCQs
Question:01 The Chenab rail bridge is higher than the Eiffel Tower by approximately
A) 15 m
B) 25 m
C) 35 m
D) 45 m
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The Chenab rail bridge stands at 359 m above the river bed, while the Eiffel Tower is 324 m tall, making the bridge roughly 35 m higher.
Question:02 Which of the following is NOT a subsidiary objective of PM-Gati Shakti?
A) Reduce logistics cost
B) Last-mile connectivity to ports
C) Privatise Indian Railways
D) Multimodal integration
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: PM-Gati Shakti focuses on infrastructure integration and cost efficiency, not on privatising Indian Railways.
Question:03 Bogibeel bridge connects which two states?
A) Assam – Arunachal Pradesh
B) Assam – Nagaland
C) Assam – Meghalaya
D) Bihar – Jharkhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Bogibeel bridge, India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge (4.94 km) over the Brahmaputra, links Dibrugarh in Assam with Dhemaji district in Arunachal Pradesh, cutting travel distance and boosting strategic connectivity.
Question:04 The longest tunnel of Indian Railways (Pir Panjal) is located in
A) Himachal Pradesh
B) Uttarakhand
C) Jammu & Kashmir
D) Sikkim
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The 11.2 km-long Pir Panjal tunnel on the Banihal-Sangaldan section of the Northern Railway lies entirely in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, making it the longest railway tunnel in India.
Question:05 What is the sanctioned route-kilometres of Dedicated Freight Corridors (both EDFC & WDFC)?
A) 2,843 km
B) 3,300 km
C) 2,360 km
D) 1,837 km
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: The sanctioned route-kilometres for the combined Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors is 2,843 km.
Question:06 Mission 2024 aims to connect all state capitals except those already connected; which of the following capitals was the last to get BG rail?
A) Itanagar
B) Aizawl
C) Gangtok
D) Kohima
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, is scheduled to receive Broad-Gauge rail connectivity under Mission 2024 and will be the last among the given options to be connected.
Question:07 The cost-sharing ratio for Northeast rail projects is generally
A) 50 : 50 (Centre : State)
B) 75 : 25 (Centre : State)
C) 90 : 10 (Centre : State)
D) 100 % by Centre
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: For railway projects in the Northeast, the Government of India bears 90 % of the cost while the concerned state contributes 10 %, making the ratio 90 : 10.
Question:08 Which organisation is the nodal implementing agency for the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project?
A) RVNL
B) DFCCIL
C) IRCON
D) CRIS
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) is the statutory nodal agency created by the Ministry of Railways to plan, construct, maintain and operate the Dedicated Freight Corridors across the country.
Question:09 Kavach automatic train protection system works on which frequency band?
A) GSM-R 900 MHz
B) ISM 2.4 GHz
C) UHF 400 MHz
D) LTE 700 MHz
Show Answer
Correct Answer: AExplanation: Kavach uses the GSM-R (Railway) 900 MHz band for its critical train-to-trackside communication, ensuring reliable automatic train protection.
BETA
