New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch development projects worth more than Rs 19,100 crore in Bulandshahr in western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, officials said.
Modi will inaugurate the 173-km-long double-line electrified section between New Khurja and New Rewari on the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) by flagging off goods trains from the two stations through video conferencing.
The officials said this new DFC section is important as it establishes crucial connectivity between the western and eastern freight corridors. This section is also known for its remarkable feat of engineering as it has a one-km-long double-line rail tunnel with high-rise electrification, which is first of its kind in the world.
This tunnel is designed to seamlessly operate double-stack container trains. This new DFC section will help improve the operation of passenger trains due to shifting of goods trains on DFC track, they said.
The prime minister will also inaugurate the fourth rail line connecting Mathura-Palwal and Chipiyana Buzurg-Dadri sections and multiple road development projects as well, they said.
These road projects, developed at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 5,000 crore, will improve connectivity and help in the economic development in the region, they added.
Among other projects Modi will inaugurate include Indian Oil's Tundla-Gawaria pipeline and an "integrated industrial township at Greater Noida" (IITGN), which has been developed in line with the prime minister's vision of integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects under PM-GatiShakti. Built at a cost of Rs 1,714 crore, the project is spread over 747 acres and is located near the intersection of eastern and western dedicated freight corridors with Eastern Peripheral Expressway to the south and the Delhi-Howrah broad gauge railway line to the east.
IITGN's strategic location ensures unparalleled connectivity as other infrastructure for multi-modal connectivity is present in the vicinity of this project, the officials said.
With the Lok Sabha polls expected in April-May, the projects will come handy for the ruling BJP to boost its pro-development credentials, more so as it is in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.