Karjat to become multi-modal transport hub

Officials said the new Greenfield Gati Shakti Multimodal Cargo Terminal at Palasdhari, between Karjat and Khopoli, is under construction

Next rail hub in Karjat! After getting a new local line connecting to Panvel, the railway terminus in the city will be developed into a multi-modal transport hub. Work on both the projects have begun.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the multimodal hub at Karjat Junction, under the Prime Minister's Gati Shakti National Master Plan (PMGS-NMP), will provide integrated and seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services, from one mode of transport to another. It will facilitate last mile connectivity of infrastructure and also reduce travel time for people, he added.

Officials said the new Greenfield Gati Shakti Multimodal Cargo Terminal at Palasdhari, between Karjat and Khopoli section, is under construction. This terminal will give speed to the inward traffic of cement, food grains and outward traffic of containers, and boost freight traffic, they added.

Besides, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is building a new suburban line between Panvel and Karjat. "The line at present caters to goods and a few long-distance passenger trains. However, since Navi Mumbai, especially Panvel and its surrounding, has witnessed significant urbanisation and population growth in recent years, the area towards Karjat is also developing fast. There is increasing demand for extending the suburban train services to Karjat via Panvel. Hence, the project has been sanctioned for a double local train line suburban corridor between Panvel and Karjat, and work for earthwork and bridges has already started," a senior railway official said.

"The upcoming Panvel-Karjat suburban corridor will reduce the travel time from Mumbai CST to Karjat by at least 25-30 minutes. This will enable faster economic development of the area," said Subhash Chand Gupta, chairman and managing director of MRVC.

The Panvel-Karjat suburban line is about 29.6-km long, with five stations, three tunnels, two rail flyovers, 44 major and minor bridges, 15 road under bridges and seven road overbridges. The target date of completion is March 2025, as per the MRVC.

Pune station's oldest bridge to go

Central Railway has decided to pull down the oldest foot overbridge at Pune station. A recent audit of the bridge, which is nearly a century old, found several cracks and safety issues, following which it was closed for public use. Built around 1925, the Warren girder bridge connects all the six platforms. Last week, a few old bridges at Dadar and Thakurli were also brought down.