Railways have taken up 180 New Line projects in various States which are in various stages of execution. This includes 18 in Andhra Pradesh, 15 in Assam & Northeast Region, 34 in Bihar, 08 in Chattisgarh, 01 in Delhi, 04 in Gujarat, 07 in Haryana, 04 in Himachal Pradesh, 01 in Jammu & Kashmir, 14 in Jharkhand, 16 in Karnataka, 02 in Kerala, 12 in Maharashtra, 08 in Madhya Pradesh, 10 in Odisha, 06 in Punjab, 10 in Rajasthan, 08 in Tamil Nadu, 09 Telangana, 03 in Uttarakhand, 15 in Uttar Pradesh and 18 in West Bengal. Some of the projects fall in more than one State. Most of the new line projects have been taken up primarily on socio-economic considerations in backward and remote areas for the speedy development of economically backward areas.

The completion of railway projects requires clearances from various departments of State Government and Central Ministries like acquisition of land, statutory clearances like forestry and wild life, shifting of utilities etc.

This information was given by the Minister of State of Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.