Parliament Question: Doubling of Merta Road–Nagaur–Bikaner Railway Section

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1810 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2026 DOUBLING OF MERTA ROAD–NAGAUR–BIKANER RAILWAY SECTION †1810. SHRI HANUMAN BENIWAL: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether any proposal for doubling of Merta Road-Nagaur-Bikaner railway section is under consideration; (b) if so, the details thereof including the expected timeline for approval of budget/commencement of work and the current status of the project; (c) whether the Government has approved the survey for construction of Nagaur-Phalodi new railway line; (d) if so, the details of the progress made in the survey work, estimated length of railway lines, estimated cost and the action taken so far regarding approval of the project; (e) whether the completion of the said two projects is likely to boost railway connectivity, freight transport, tourism, defence and industrial activities in Western Rajasthan; and (f) if so, the details of the time-bound action plan prepared by the Government for speedy approval and implementation of these projects? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (f) : Merta Road - Nagaur - Bikaner is an existing single rail line section on Indian Railway Network. To augment the connectivity in this section, Final Location Survey (FLS) for Merta Road- Bikaner Doubling (173 Km) has been sanctioned. Field survey has been completed and Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared. § Page 1 of 3Nagaur and Phalodi are existing railway stations on Indian Railway Network and connected via Lalgarh as well as via Merta Road/Raikabag Palace (Jodhpur). However, to provide direct additional connectivity, FLS for Nagaur - Phalodi (148 km) new line has been sanctioned for preparation of DPR. Survey work has been taken up. After preparation of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines depend upon appraisal and approval by various stakeholders. Sanction of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors which include the following:  Anticipated traffic projections and Remunerativeness of the proposed route  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project  Connection of missing links and providing additional route  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines  Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives,  Railway's own operational requirements  Socio-economic considerations  Overall availability of funds Railway Infrastructure projects enable socio-economic development of the region including:  Better integration of the region with other parts of the country  Faster movement of goods and services  Improving logistics efficiency  Enhance line capacity Page 2 of 3 Increase in direct and indirect employment opportunities for the people of the region  Reduces operational bottlenecks  Development of tourism industry and increase in industrial activities in the region. ***** Page 3 of 3