New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday that the Centre has given its approval for constructing a new railway line between Punjab’s Rajpura and Mohali at an investment of Rs 443 crore, and the 18 km line will provide a direct rail link to the southern region of Punjab to the state capital Chandigarh.
Earlier, trains from Ludhiana had to go through Ambala to reach Chandigarh, adding extra distance and time. Now there will be a direct connection between Rajpura and Mohali, reducing travel distance by approximately 66 km, the minister said.
All 13 districts of the Malwa region will now be well-connected with Chandigarh. It will ease traffic on the existing Rajpura-Ambala route and shorten the Ambala-Morinda link.
Among all the available options, this route was chosen because it requires the least agricultural land acquisition, ensuring minimal impact on farming activities.
The minister said that the project will boost industries including textiles, manufacturing, and agriculture. It will create a comprehensive network connecting Punjab’s agricultural heartland with major commercial centres and ports, facilitating faster movement of agricultural produce, and reducing transportation costs for industries such as the Rajpura Thermal Power Plant.
It will also provide better connectivity for pilgrims visiting religious sites, including Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib and the shrine of Shaikh Ahmad al-Faruqi al-Sirhindi. Haveli Todar Mal, Sanghol Museum, etc.
A new Vande Bharat Express has also been proposed connecting Firozpur Cantt to Delhi via Bhatinda and Patiala. The service will run for 6 days a week (except Wednesday) with a journey time of 6 hours 40 minutes covering the 486 km distance.
The minister also highlighted that railway Investment in Punjab had shot up from 2009-14 average of Rs 225 crore annually to Rs 5,421 crore in 2025-26. This is 24 times higher than the previous government, he added.
He further stated that currently, railway projects worth Rs 25,000 crore are being executed in Punjab. These include 9 new track projects covering 714 km worth Rs 21,926 crore, 30 Amrit stations are being developed at Rs 1,122 crore, and 88 flyovers and underpasses worth Rs 1,238 crore.
The Firozpur-Patti rail line will provide crucial connectivity between border districts and Gujarat ports. This service will create an economic corridor connecting Punjab’s border districts of Amritsar, Taran Taran, and Firozpur.
These will be connected with major cities and eventually to Gujarat ports, significantly reducing logistics costs.
Further announcing other major updates in Indian Railways, Vaishnaw highlighted the record arrangement of running 12,000 special trains for the Chhath and Diwali season this year. This is higher than the 7,724 special trains that were run last year to clear the festive rush.
(IANS)
