New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday 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 increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in ...