- By Akansha Pandey
- Thu, 30 Oct 2025 03:17 PM (IST)
- Source:Jagran News Network
The North Eastern Railway (NER) is set to lay its first fourth railway line on the 55.75 km rail route between Gonda Kacheri and Burhwal in the Lucknow division. The Railway Board has approved the project, sanctioning a budget of Rs 796.30 crore.
Following directives from the board, the railway administration has completed the survey work. A tender has been issued for the construction of a 1,037-metre-long bridge over the Saryu River (Ghaghra) between Chauka Ghat and Ghaghra Ghat.
The construction of the third railway line on this section is already complete, and trains have begun operating on it. The foundation for the fourth railway line's bridge was also prepared during the third line's construction. The new tender is for the remaining work of laying the girders and the line.
Chief Public Relations Officer Pankaj Kumar Singh said, "A tender has been issued for the construction of the fourth railway bridge over the Ghaghra river as part of the Gonda Kacheri to Burhwal fourth railway line project. During the construction under the third railway line project, the bridge's foundation was also prepared for the fourth line, meaning only the superstructure work needs to be done."
Increased Capacity And Future Projects
Part of the Indian Railways' High-Density Traffic Network, the construction of this fourth line is expected to increase track capacity by up to 78 per cent. This will significantly boost the movement of goods, including:
- Coal and coke
- Iron ore and steel
- Cement and fertilisers
- Petroleum and food grains
- Containers And automobiles
Additionally, it will enable the operation of more trains according to public demand and promote environmental conservation.
The push for third and fourth railway lines is underway on a "war footing" across the NER:
- The doubling (double line) of the 425 km rail route from Barabanki to Chapra via Gorakhpur has been completed. The survey for laying third and fourth lines on this entire route is progressing at a fast pace.
- The Railway Board has approved a survey for a 30 km fourth line between Dominagarh and Khalilabad.
- A survey is underway for a fourth line, along with the 88 km third line, from Mankapur to Khalilabad.
- Surveys have begun for third and fourth lines for 4 km from Chapra Junction to Chapra Kacheri and for 88 km from Burhwal to Sitapur.
- In total, the survey work for 457 km of railway line is expected to be completed by December 2025.
NER Infrastructure Milestones
The Saryu bridge is the most significant of the several bridges on the Gorakhpur-Lucknow route. The first Elgin Bridge on the river was completed in 1896. The second bridge opened 100 years later in 2013-14. Trains currently run on a double line across both bridges. Within just the last ten years, the third railway bridge has also been completed.
The North Eastern Railway has now converted all 3,300 of its route km from metre gauge to broad gauge. The electrification of all rail routes has also been completed, with trains running exclusively on electric locomotives.
The only exception is the 170 km Mailani-Nanpara rail route in the Dudhwa forest area, which remains a metre-gauge line, preserved specifically for eco-tourism.