New Delhi, Sept. 25 -- The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a railway and a highway project in Bihar worth a combined Rs.6,014 crore. The 78.94 km four-lane highway on the Sahebganj-Areraj-Bettiah section of National Highway (NH) 139W, worth Rs.3,822.31 crore, will be built under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM), connecting Patna and Bettiah in Bihar. "It will link key districts including Vaishali, Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, East Champaran and West Champaran, opening access to agricultural zones, industrial hubs, and religious tourism circuits," a statement issued by the government said. Following the cabinet meeting, union rail minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the project is aimed at improving travel efficiency, reducing congestion, and facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers. The centre expects the corridor to play a key role in strengthening economic activity and cross-border linkages with Nepal. According to the statement, the project will connect seven PM Gati Shakti economic Nodes, six Social Nodes, eight Logistic Nodes, nine Major Tourism and Religious Centers by improving access to key heritage and Buddhist tourist sites, including the Kesariya Buddha Stupa (Sahebganj), Someshwarnath Mandir (Areraj), Jain Mandir and Vishwa Shanti Stupa (Vaishali), and Mahavir Temple (Patna), thereby strengthening the Buddhist circuit and international tourism potential of Bihar. The NH-139W has been planned to provide high-speed connectivity to alternate routes that are presently congested and geometrically deficient, and pass through built-up areas. It will serve as an important link to the NH-31, NH-722, NH-727, NH-27 and NH-227A. The statement said the proposed greenfield alignment will support an average vehicular speed of 80 km/h against the design speed of 100 km/h. The Cabinet also approved the doubling of the Bakhtiyarpur-Rajgir-Tilaiya railway line, a 104-km section in central Bihar, at a cost of Rs.2,192 crore. "The initiatives are expected to generate jobs during construction and support long-term regional growth once operational," Vaishnaw said. "Multi-tracking projects will enhance connectivity to approximately 1,434 villages and about 13.46 lakh population, and two aspirational districts (Gaya and Nawada)," a government press statement said. Outlining its environmental benefits, it said, "The Railways, being an environment-friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimising logistics cost of the country, reducing oil import (5 crore litres) and lowering CO2 emissions (24 crore kg), which is equivalent to plantation of one crore trees." Earlier this month, the Cabinet had sanctioned the construction of the Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur high-speed corridor and approved the doubling of the Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat rail line, aimed at strengthening connectivity across Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. PM Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for multiple infrastructure projects on September 15 alongside Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, which included a thermal power plant at Pirpainti and a newly built terminal building at Purnea Airport....