Eastern Railway's ongoing capacity expansion projects involve an investment of around ₹12,000 crore, with the works being taken up over the next four to five years, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the CII Rail Synergy & Bengal MSME Vendor Connect Summit 2026, Eastern Railway General Manager Gitika Pandey said the investment is aimed at creating additional route capacity.
“Railways' ongoing line capacity expansion of ₹12,000 crore in the Eastern Railway region is being implemented over the next four to five years,” she said.
1 August 2026
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Of the total investment, around ₹10,000 crore is being spent on 563 km of line expansion, while another ₹2,000 crore is being invested in 10 bypass projects, an official said.
“Trains connect markets, people and aspirations,” Pandey said, adding that a robust railway network would help reduce logistics costs, streamline supply chains and enhance the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.
She also urged MSMEs to focus on developing innovative products and cost-effective solutions to strengthen their contribution to the economy.
Meanwhile, P K Das, Director, MSME DFO, Kolkata, briefed the gathering on the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, recently passed by Parliament, which seeks to address the long-standing issue of delayed payments to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
