New Delhi: Indian Railways on Saturday has approved the construction of a four-lane Road Over Bridge (ROB) on the Udhna-Ukai Songadh section of Western Railway, at a total cost of Rs 133.2295 crore, on a cost-sharing basis with the state government.

The ROB will be a four-lane structure. The Railway bridge portion will comprise an Open Web Girder (OWG), with an estimated cost of Rs 91.60 crore.

The crossing location has a 62% skew, which significantly increases design and construction complexity.

The viaduct portion will have a total length of 311.58 metres, with an estimated cost of Rs 19.98 crore. The Railway Approach (RE) portion will have a length of 524.32 metres, with an estimated cost of Rs 10.25 crore.

The total cost of the work is Rs 133.2295 crore, to be shared between Indian Railways and the State Government. The Railway share is Rs 66.6147 crore, while the State Government share is Rs 66.6148 crore.

The construction of the four-lane ROB will facilitate smoother movement of road traffic, thereby reducing interference with railway operations. The grade-separated infrastructure will support smoother train operations and contribute to safer and more efficient railway movement on the Udhna-Ukai Songadh section, benefiting passengers through improved operational efficiency and reliability.

Earlier, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on september 9 approved three railway multitracking projects worth Rs 10,783 crore across five states, which will add about 656 km to the Indian Railways network and increase freight-handling capacity.

The projects, announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during the Cabinet briefing, cover parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and are planned to be completed by 2029-30.

According to a CCEA release, the approved projects include the Kharagpur-Jharsuguda (Bagdehi) fourth line, Katni-Pendra Road fourth line and Bilaspur (Uslapur)-Pendra Road third line.

The projects will cover 14 districts across the five states and are expected to improve rail connectivity for around 4,790 villages with a combined population of about 56 lakh.

The projects have been planned under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with a focus on improving multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency through integrated planning.

The expanded railway network is also expected to improve access to several tourist and pilgrimage destinations, including Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Amarkantak, Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, Taratarini Temple and other sites in the regions covered by the projects.