The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the doubling of the 82-km Paradip–Haridaspur railway line in Odisha, along with the Rajkharsawan–Dangoaposi Fourth Line spanning Odisha and Jharkhand, two capacity augmentation projects worth around ₹3,907 crore.
The Paradip–Haridaspur doubling directly strengthens the logistics backbone required for Odisha to achieve its ambition of contributing 100 million tonnes (MT) of steel production towards India’s 300 MT target under the National Steel Policy 2017 by 2030-31.
At the heart of Odisha’s steel strategy lies Kalinganagar, the state’s largest steel manufacturing cluster, home to around 15 steel plants including public sector units and private majors. The Paradip–Haridaspur corridor connects this industrial belt with Paradip Port, India’s eastern gateway for steel exports and coking coal imports. Originally sanctioned in 1996-97 and commissioned in 2020 after decades of delays, the single-line corridor has since begun facing capacity constraints due to rapidly expanding steel production.
The doubled corridor is estimated to handle an additional 44 million tonnes of freight annually, enabling simultaneous two-way movement, reducing wagon detention, lowering logistics costs, and improving supply-chain reliability for steel manufacturers.
The Rajkharsawan–Dangoaposi Fourth Line, passing through one of eastern India’s richest iron ore regions, will ease freight congestion and enable faster movement of ore to major steel manufacturing centres including Kalinganagar.
Together, the two projects create an integrated logistics chain, from iron ore mines to steel plants to export gateways supporting Odisha’s goal of becoming India’s premier steel manufacturing hub. Both are targeted for completion by 2030-31.
, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the doubling of the 82km railway line){kind=link}