Chandigarh, Sept. 24 -- Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday announced a new Rajpura-Mohali railway line in Punjab, costing Rs.443 crore and spanning 18km, besides proposing a new Vande Bharat train connecting Ferozepur cantonment with New Delhi via Bathinda and Patiala. Vaishnaw said that the long-awaited demand to build the Rajpura-Mohali railway line that will directly connect the state's capital, Chandigarh, with the Malwa region has been approved. "Earlier, trains from Ludhiana had to go through Ambala to reach Chandigarh, adding extra distance and time. Now, there will be a direct connection between Rajpura and Mohali, reducing travel distance by approximately 66 km," Vaishnaw said during a press conference in which Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Bittu was also present. Vaishnaw also highlighted a significant increase in railway investment in Punjab from Rs.225 crore during 2009-14 to Rs.5,421 crore now. FULL REPORT ON PAGE 2...