New Delhi, June 1 (IANS): Pending for the last four-five decades, the broad gauge railway line between between Mau in Uttar Pradesh and Tarighat in Bihar on Wednesday got a nod from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 51-km line will provide an alternative, shorter and better route to areas separated by the Ganga river as well as an alternative route for up and down trains between Howrah in West Bengal and New Delhi through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. 

"The project was pending for the last 40-50 years. The new rail line will ease traffic on the Allahabad-Patna route. It will also boost the economy of Mau," union Communication and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here after the cabinet meeting.

The project's estimated cost is Rs 1,765.92 crore, with expected completion cost pegged at Rs 2,109.07 crore and five per cent annual escalation. The project is likely to be completed in six years.