PM Modi Inaugurates First Stretch of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway in Haryana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the first 157.92-km operational stretch of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway during a visit to Jind, Haryana, marking a major milestone in one of India's largest highway infrastructure projects. Built at an estimated cost of around Rs 9,680 crore, the newly opened section forms part of the 667-km Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, which is being developed at a total estimated cost of approximately Rs 38,905 crore. Once completed, the corridor is expected to significantly improve connectivity across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

During the event, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the 33.81-km Ambala-Kala Amb Highway and the 40.60-km Jind-Gohana Greenfield Highway, reducing travel time between Jind and Gohana from nearly two hours to about 40 minutes. In addition, he laid the foundation stone for a six-lane Greenfield Highway connecting IT City with Kurali in Punjab's Mohali district. Earlier in the day, PM Modi flagged off India's first hydrogen-powered train in Jind, highlighting the government's focus on sustainable transport and modern infrastructure.

The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway has been designed to transform travel across northern India by providing seamless, high-speed connectivity. Once the entire corridor becomes operational, travel time between Delhi and Katra is expected to reduce from nearly 14 hours to around six hours, while the Delhi-Amritsar journey is projected to come down from approximately eight hours to four hours. The expressway will also decongest the busy NH-44 corridor, improve access to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and facilitate faster movement of freight across the region.

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The project is expected to deliver substantial economic benefits beyond improved transportation. With nearly 35 major interchanges planned along the route, the expressway will connect industrial hubs, agricultural markets, logistics parks, warehousing centres and major religious destinations. Infrastructure experts believe the corridor will strengthen supply chains, lower transportation costs and encourage investments across sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, commercial development and residential real estate. Improved connectivity is also expected to accelerate urbanisation in emerging cities along the route.

Industry leaders have described the project as a major catalyst for regional growth. Rajat Bokolia, CEO of Newstone, said the expressway would significantly enhance connectivity for cities such as Sonipat, supporting industrial expansion, logistics and housing development. Abhishek Raj, Founder and CEO of Jenika Ventures, said the corridor would link key economic, industrial, agricultural and religious centres across four states while improving travel efficiency. He added that previous expressway projects had demonstrated how better infrastructure could drive investment, urban development and commercial activity, with similar outcomes expected in cities including Sonipat, Panipat, Karnal, Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and the outskirts of Amritsar.

The expressway is also expected to provide a major boost to tourism, particularly religious tourism, by making travel to destinations such as the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra and the Golden Temple in Amritsar faster and more convenient. Alongside the inauguration of the expressway section, PM Modi announced and launched road and rail infrastructure projects worth over Rs 5,470 crore in Punjab, including the six-lane IT City-Kurali Greenfield Highway, the Zirakpur Greenfield Bypass and the PR-7 Spur of the Ambala-Chandigarh Greenfield Highway.

While only the first section of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway has been opened, the project is expected to redefine mobility, strengthen freight movement and unlock long-term economic opportunities across North India once the full corridor is completed.

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