08 September,2026 01:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the inauguration and foundation stone laying of Rs 35,000 crore development projects at an event, in Vadodara, Gujarat. PIC/PTI
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid the foundation stones for and inaugurated development projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore in Vadodara, Gujarat, and dedicated three key sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) to the nation.
Addressing the programme, PM Modi said India was strengthening its infrastructure to move people and goods faster, create new opportunities, and power economic growth.
The three WDFC sections - New Sanand (North)-New Makarpura in Gujarat, New Umbergaon-New Saphale (between Gujarat and Maharashtra) and New Saphale-New Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (in Maharashtra) - cover 326 route kilometres and have been developed at a cost of more than Rs 20,700 crore.
The direct connectivity to JNPA will facilitate faster movement of export-import cargo, strengthen connectivity between industrial centres and ports, reduce logistics costs, and help decongest Mumbai's railway network.
With the commissioning of these sections, the DFC network will become fully operational across its entire length. The dedicated freight infrastructure is expected to further strengthen India's logistics ecosystem by improving multimodal connectivity, reducing transit time, and facilitating the movement of cargo across regions.
Modi also flagged off freight train services from New Sanand (North), New Makarpura, New Umbergaon, and New JNPT (Navi Mumbai), along with a new passenger train service between Tanda Road in Punjab and Vadodara's Pratapnagar.
The PM dedicated the Jobat (Madhya Pradesh)-Tanda Road new rail line, developed as part of the Chhota Udepur-Dhar (Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh) project, to the nation. The line will connect remote and tribal areas of Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh with the national rail network.
He also laid the foundation stones for three railway projects spanning 329 kilometres and costing more than Rs 9,700 crore. These include the Vadodara-Ratlam third and fourth lines, Miyagam Karjan-Choranda-Malsar (Gujarat) gauge conversion and the Vishwamitri-Dabhoi doubling project (Gujarat). The projects are aimed at enhancing passenger and freight capacity, easing congestion and strengthening connectivity between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Modi also laid the foundation stones for three National Highway projects costing around Rs 1,780 crore. These include six-laning of the Kamrej-Chalthan section of NH-48; construction of additional structures, including major bridges over the Tapi and Narmada, on the Vadodara-Surat section of NH-48; and grade-separated structures at Abhava, Mindhola, and Khajod junctions on NH-53.
Various Gujarat government projects worth around Rs 2,600 crore were also inaugurated or had their foundation stones laid.
PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Mumbai later in the day to inaugurate the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 around 5.45 pm.
The seventh edition of the Global Fintech Fest is being held in Mumbai from Tuesday, September 8, to Friday, September 11. The theme of GFF 2026 is "Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum - Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance."
