The Centre has allocated Rs 100 crore for the proposed Rajpura-Mohali railway line in the current financial year, with land acquisition already underway for the Rs 443-crore project, the Lok Sabha was informed.Replying to an unstarred question by Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the 18-km railway line, declared a Special Railway Project, requires 73 hectares of land and that the acquisition process has been initiated following the issuance of a preliminary notification.The proposed line will connect Rajpura Junction, Sarai Banjara and Mohali, providing direct rail connectivity between southern Punjab, including the Bathinda region, and Chandigarh without routing trains through Ambala.The minister’s reply comes after the Punjab Government submitted pending Form 20-A land schedules to Northern Railway. Earlier this year, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Anurag Verma directed the Deputy Commissioners of Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali to complete the process within a week. Punjab has also appointed the SDM, Rajpura, as the Competent Authority for Land Acquisition for the connected Rajpura Bypass line under the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL).The reply stated that the speed potential of the Bathinda-Rajpura route has been upgraded to 110 kmph as part of track modernisation works, including the laying of 60-kg rails, pre-stressed concrete sleepers, thick web switches and mechanised track maintenance.Nationally, railway tracks capable of supporting speed of 130 kmph and above have increased from 5,036 km in 2014 to 24,173 km in 2026, while tracks with speed potential below 110 kmph have reduced from 47,897 km to 20,897 km during the same period.However, the minister did not clarify whether trains from the Malwa region would require an engine reversal at Rajpura Junction on the proposed line or whether a grade-separated crossing with the Ambala-Sirhind line had been examined. The reply only stated that the new route “can provide additional means of connectivity” to Chandigarh through Mohali and did not confirm any new train services, stations, logistics hubs or dry ports.At present, there is no direct railway link between Rajpura and Mohali. Goods trains reverse at Rajpura Junction on the Dhuri-Bathinda-Sirhind route, while Delhi-Chandigarh trains operate via Ambala Cantonment.On rail infrastructure in Punjab, the minister said the state’s annual railway budget allocation has increased from Rs 225 crore during 2009-14 to Rs 5,673 crore in 2026-27. As of April 1, 2026, 11 railway projects including six new lines and five doubling works covering 745 km at an estimated cost of Rs 24,708 crore have been sanctioned, of which 155 km has been commissioned.The Centre said timely completion of railway projects depends on factors such as land acquisition, forest and statutory clearances, utility shifting, site conditions and support from the Punjab.