Varanasi’s skyline is all set to change when the railways build a new rail-cum-road bridge with multiple arches, designed for a much larger traffic capacity, parallel to the existing 137 year-old Malaviya Bridge on the Ganga near the holy city.

The Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the railways’ Rs 2642 crore project to build the new bridge. The new bridge will take four years to construct and is designed to serve traffic needs for the next 150 years.

Briefing newspersons on the Cabinet decisions, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said from the traffic point of view, the new bridge will be the largest in the country, although there may be bridges longer in length, like Bogibeel.

Mr Vaishnaw said a unique feature of the bridge location is that it is the only place in the whole course of the Ganga river where it flows South to North. He said the foundations of the bridge will be 120 feet deeper from the surface of the river.

The Malaviya bridge is still in good condition and was inspected a few years ago, he said. The new bridge has been conceived to meet growing rail and road connectivity needs.

The new Rail-Road bridge in Kashi connecting Varanasi-Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya terminal will facilitate ease of travelling, minimize logistics cost, reduce oil imports and lower Co2 emissions.

The construction design and length of the bridge will be such as to make the rail traffic floods-proof. The length of the bridge on both sides of the river will extend for an additional 15 kilometers on a higher level to eliminate any chances of traffic disruption due to floods.

The proposed multi-tracking project will also ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much-required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across Indian Railways. The project traverses through Varanasi and Chandauli districts in Uttar Pradesh.

The Varanasi Railway Station, a crucial hub in Indian Railways, connects key zones and serves as a gateway for pilgrims, tourists and the local population. The Varanasi-Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Junction route, vital for both passenger and freight traffic, is currently facing heavy congestion due to its role in transporting goods like coal, cement, and foodgrains, as well as serving the growing tourism and industrial demands.

Apart from relief in congestion in the stretch, 27.83 MTPA freight is anticipated on the proposed stretch.

The project is in line with the Prime Minister’s Vision of a New India which will make people of the region “Atmanirbhar” by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/self-employment opportunities.

The project is the result of the PM-GatiShakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity which has been possible through integrated planning and will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services.

The project covering two districts in Uttar Pradesh will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 30 Kms.

The Railways being an environment friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, the project will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics cost of the country and lower CO2 emissions (149 Crore Kg) which is equivalent to plantation of six crore trees.