MVA govt approves Pune-Nashik railway project

Pune: Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra deputy chief minister and finance minister has okayed the pending Pune- Nashik railway project in his annual budget 2021-22.

Pawar said, “The proposed length of the medium high-speed railway line is about 235 km and 24 stations are planned on the route. The speed of the train will be 200 km per hour and the expected cost of the project is Rs16,039 crore.”

“The state has approved the Pune-Nashik railway project. Once we get the requisite approval from the central government’s cabinet committee and the Prime Minister’s office (PMO), the work would start on ground. We have already begun land acquisition process for the project”, Rajesh Kumar Jaiswal, managing director, Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MahaRail) said.

The Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (MRIDC or MahaRail), a joint venture of Government of Maharashtra and Ministry of Railways on 50:50 basis, is undertaking the project.

This line will provide direct connectivity between Pune and Nashik, two highly-industrial and urban cities – and the 231 km journey between the two cities will be completed in less than 2 hours.

As this Pune-Nashik belt has huge industries, this project will open a new revenue for industries by fast-track movements of cargo by Railways as important MIDC areas such as Chakan, Sinnar and Satpur will be directly connected by this railway line.

MahaRail has plans to develop Private Freight Terminal (PFT), dry ports, multimodal and commercial hubs, warehouses and sidings at locations suggested by local industries.

24 stations are planned on the line at Pune, Hadapsar, Manjiri, Kolwadi, Wagholi, Alandi, Chakan, Rajgurunagar, Bhorwadi, Manchar, Narayangaon, Alephata, Bota, Jambut, Sakur, Ambhore, Sangamner, Devthan, Chas, Dodi, Sinnar, Mohadari, Shinde and Nashik Road.