Chandigarh, Oct. 26 -- The Union ministry of railways has declared the Rajpura-Mohali new rail line a "Special Railway Project" under the Railways (Amendment) Act, 2008, paving the way for its early execution.

The 18-km railway line, estimated to cost Rs.443 crore, was announced by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw last month.

The link will connect Mohali to the Ludhiana-Ambala cantonment line at Sarai Banjara, near Rajpura, reducing the travel distance by approximately 66 km. It will be the first fully railway-funded project in the state.

With this, the Northern Railways has also written to the Punjab government to initiate the process of land acquisition across Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali districts, covering approximately 53....