Jamshedpur: The Government of India has officially designated the 4th railway line project connecting Kharagpur to Bagdehi via Tatanagar as a “Special Railway Project.” Budgeted at ₹5,089 crore, this move is set to revolutionize the rail network on the high-traffic Howrah-Mumbai main route.
The special status removes critical bottlenecks in land acquisition and construction for the 366.9 km long line, providing significant relief to millions of passengers and regional entrepreneurs.
Regional Connectivity & Breakdown
The project spans three states—West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha—linking their vital industrial corridors. The geographical distribution of the line is as follows:
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Jharkhand: 305.9 km (The largest share, including the critical Tatanagar stretch)
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West Bengal: 60.9 km
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Odisha: The terminal point at Bagdehi (Sundargarh district).
Economic Impact & Logistics
The 4th line is expected to act as a “Sanjeevani” (lifeline) for the region by separating freight and passenger traffic. Key benefits include:
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Freight Boost: Annual cargo capacity is projected to jump from 20.37 million tonnes to 28.12 million tonnes.
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Punctuality: By moving coal, cement, steel, and food grains to a dedicated track, passenger train delays will be drastically reduced.
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Investment: So far, ₹4,311 crore has already been utilized for various phases of this project.
The Ministry of Railways emphasized that this corridor will accelerate the socio-economic development of the Bihar-Jharkhand-Odisha industrial hub while generating significant employment during its final construction and operational phases.
