The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has cleared eight railway projects worth ₹20,804 crore, expanding the Indian Railways network by 1,196 km across nine states. The projects are expected to boost freight loading by 74 million tonnes annually and improve the movement of coal, cement, steel, containers, automobiles, food grains and other essential goods. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also outlined measures using AI, aerial mapping and the Rail Bhumi portal to speed up land acquisition and project execution.