Indian Railways Sanctions ₹443 Cr Rajpura–Mohali 18 Km Rail Line to Connect Malwa Region with State Capital Chandigarh

Indian Railways Sanctions ₹443 Cr Rajpura–Mohali 18 Km Rail Line to Connect Malwa Region with State Capital Chandigarh

Economic Impact

New Vande Bharat Express Service

Record Railway Investment in Punjab

Festival Season: Record train services

Significant Service Quality Improvement

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi another major railway milestone has been achieved for Punjab. The long-awaited rail link in Punjab, Rajpura-Mohali new line has been sanctioned.

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology; and Shri Ravneet Singh Bittu, Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries made this announcement today. It fulfills a more than 50-year old demand of the people of Punjab.

This 18 km railway line will cost Rs 443 crores and will directly connect the Malwa region with the state capital Chandigarh.

Direct Connectivity: Earlier, trains from Ludhiana had to go through Ambala to reach Chandigarh, adding extra distance and time. Now there will be a direct connection between Rajpura and Mohali, reducing travel distance by approximately 66 km.

All 13 districts of the Malwa region will now be well-connected with Chandigarh. It will ease traffic on the existing Rajpura-Ambala route and shorten the Ambala-Morinda link.

Among all the available options, this route was chosen because it requires the least agricultural land acquisition, ensuring minimal impact on farming activities.

The project will boost industries including textiles, manufacturing, and agriculture. It will create a comprehensive network connecting Punjab’s agricultural heartland with major commercial centers and ports, facilitating:

A new Vande Bharat Express has been proposed connecting:

Major Achievements Since 2014:

Current Projects:

Firozpur-Patti rail line will provide crucial connectivity between border districts and Gujarat ports. This service will create an economic corridor connecting Punjab’s border districts (Amritsar, Taran Taran, Firozpur).

These will be connected with major cities and eventually to Gujarat ports, significantly reducing logistics costs.

Further announcing other major updates in Indian Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the record arrangement of running 12,000 special trains for Chhath and Diwali season:

Special Train Services:

The maximum passenger movement typically occurs between October 15 and November 15, and railways are fully prepared to handle the rush.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also announced today that railway operations have shown significant improvement, with above 90% punctuality achieved in 29 out of 70 railway divisions across the country. Some divisions have been performing with a punctuality rate of over 98%.

This has been possible because of better infrastructure, planning & smoother operations across the railway network.