Just days before the announcement of the general elections, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved two major railway multitracking projects worth ₹4,474 crore for West Bengal and Jharkhand. These projects, sanctioned by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), aim to augment line capacity, reduce congestion, and bolster the regional economy by improving freight and passenger movement.

The Key Projects Include:

• Sainthia–Pakur 4th Line: To strengthen connectivity in the coal and mineral-rich belt of Birbhum and Jharkhand.
• Santragachi–Kharagpur 4th Line: To ease the massive traffic bottleneck on the busy South Eastern Railway route.

Covering 5 districts, these projects will add 192 km to the existing network, benefiting nearly 1.47 crore people across 5,652 villages. The project also holds great significance for tourism, providing smoother access to Bolpur-Shantiniketan, Tarapith, and Nandikeshwari Temple. Targeted for completion by 2030-31, this massive infrastructure push is being viewed as a strategic masterstroke by the Centre to address regional developmental needs before the code of conduct kicks in.