The Union Cabinet has approved railway projects worth ₹1.73 lakh crore for Maharashtra so far, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said during a press briefing in Mumbai on Friday, terming the allocation as “transformational” for the state’s infrastructure and development.
Addressing a joint press conference with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the minister said, “Till now overall, ₹1 lakh 73 thousand crore worth of projects connected with Maharashtra, including the bullet train and corridors, and the redevelopment of stations has been approved. ₹1,73,804 crore worth of projects are connected with Maharashtra.”
Mr Vaishnaw noted that the Union Budget for 2025-26 had made a record provision for the state, with more than ₹23,000 crore allocated to Maharashtra.
“For the sanction of such big projects, there is a need for funding every year; that is why you must have noticed how in the (Union) budget till now, there has been an allocation of ₹23,778 crore,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, he said the funding during their term was minimal. “When the INDI alliance, called the UPA then was there, then only ₹1,171 crore was allocated to Maharashtra, but now (PM) Modi has given at least 20 times more than that, which will transform the rail network of Maharashtra.”
Elaborating on the slew of sanctioned corridor projects and station redevelopment plans, Mr Vaishnaw highlighted that the Cabinet had recently approved the doubling of the Ballarshah-Gondia line. “PM Modi, in the recent Cabinet meet, has sanctioned the Ballarshah-Gondia's doubling project of 240 kilometres, which has been given ₹4,819 crore,” he said.
He added that this corridor would significantly enhance connectivity from north to south and benefit aspirational districts like Vidarbha and Marathwada.
“With the doubling of Ballarshah and Gondia, we will get a corridor for north to south's movement. With this, the aspirational district, like Vidharba and Marathawada, will be impacted as they will be connected.”
Highlighting the scale of investments in the Prime Minister’s third term, Mr Vaishnaw said, “In the historic third term of PM Modi, multiple projects for Railways have been sanctioned one by one. Like the one connecting the Ajanta caves, Jalna-Jalgaon was sanctioned with a project cost of ₹7,106 crore.”
He further added, “Then Manmad-Indore, which has a significant portion in Maharashtra, was sanctioned ₹18,000 crore with Cabinet approval. The fourth line of Manmad-Jalgaon was sanctioned with ₹2,700 crore. Vasaval-Khandwa was also sanctioned.”
The Union Cabinet meeting held on 9 April approved multiple infrastructure initiatives, including the modernisation of the Command Area Development and Water Management scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
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