Karjat-Badlapur new rail lines get a push

The 14-km Kalyan-Badlapur third and fourth line project has been undertaken under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project phase-3A by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) at a cost of Rs 1,510 crore. File pic

In a significant development giving a push to the Prime Minister's Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the Badlapur-Karjat third and fourth line expansion project was evaluated on Friday at the 89th meeting of the Network Planning Group (NPG), chaired by the Joint Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The progress of other infrastructure projects in the road, railway, and metro sectors was also evaluated during the meeting.

The 32.460 km-long brownfield project addresses increasing passenger and freight congestion along the Mumbai-Pune-Solapur-Wadi-Chennai corridor. Enhancing connectivity between key commuter hubs and freight transit points, this project will benefit towns including Badlapur, Vangani, Shelu, Neral, Bhivpuri, and Karjat.

The meeting focused on enhancing multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency in alignment with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (PMGSNMP).

The NPG evaluated eight projects - four road, three railway, and one metro - for their conformity to the PM Gati Shakti principles of integrated multimodal infrastructure, last-mile connectivity to economic and social nodes, and intermodal coordination. These initiatives are expected to boost logistical efficiency, reduce travel times, and deliver significant socio-economic benefits across regions.

The 14-km Kalyan-Badlapur third and fourth line project has been undertaken under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project phase-3A by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) at a cost of Rs 1,510 crore. The cost of the project is proposed to be shared 50:50 by the Ministry of Railways and Government of Maharashtra.

"The existing two lines between Kalyan and Karjat are carrying mixed traffic of mail/express, goods trains and also suburban services. The satellite towns and cities of Badlapur, Ambarnath, and Ulhasnagar need proper suburban rail connection for journeys to Kalyan and Mumbai. The present services are run with terminals at Ambernath, Badlapur, Karjat, and Khopoli and cannot be increased owing to saturation on the Kalyan-Badlapur section. The new suburban corridor from Kalyan to Badlapur will enable the augmentation of suburban rail services and provide the much-needed suburban rail connectivity to these towns along with the infrastructure for their development," a senior MRVC official said.