Vadodara–Ratlam 3rd & 4th Rail Line Project: 800 hectares land acquisition planned

Vadodara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in Vadodara for a ₹8,885-crore project to construct new third and fourth railway lines along the 259-km Vadodara–Godhra–Ratlam route, aimed at easing congestion and enabling higher train speeds.

The project will pass through five districts across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, Vadodara, Panchmahal and Dahod in Gujarat, and Ratlam and Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh. Around 800 hectares of land will be acquired for the project, including approximately 350 hectares of private land, 225 hectares of government land and 228 hectares of forest land.

A key feature of the new alignment is that no curve will exceed one degree. This has been designed to support train speeds of up to 160 kmph in the future under the Railways’ Mission Raftaar initiative. Trains currently operate at speeds of around 100 to 130 kmph on the existing section.

The new lines will connect Vadodara with Ratlam station yard through Godhra, Piplod, Dahod, Thandla Road and Amargarh. The first phase of the project will cover a 41-km section between Ratlam and Nagda.

The land acquisition process will begin after the final land survey report is prepared. The additional tracks are expected to ease pressure on the busy Delhi–Mumbai rail route, which currently handles heavy passenger and freight traffic.

With two additional lines, freight trains can operate alongside superfast and express passenger services with fewer operational constraints, improving punctuality and capacity. The project is also expected to strengthen logistics connectivity between Gujarat’s industrial areas and the Malwa and tribal regions of Madhya Pradesh, potentially facilitating the movement of agricultural produce and other goods.

Meanwhile, power infrastructure along the alignment will also be shifted or modified. Electricity poles and high- and low-voltage lines falling within the project corridor will be relocated as required. The work is estimated to cost ₹6.63 crore, and the Railways has already issued a tender for it. DeshGujarat