State approves two railway projects worth Rs 1,809 crore

Here is good news for the scores of commuters travelling from Kalyan, Thane and Navi Mumbai. The state government has approved the doubling of Karjat-Panvel railway route, alongside an elevated corridor between Kalwa and Airoli.

The project to double the railway route between Karjat and Panvel was taken to offer better connectivity for the burgeoning population in the MMR. File pic

While approving the projects, the state asked the MMRDA and the CIDCO to share 50% of the Rs 1,809 crore. The remaining expenses will be borne by the railways.

The project is part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)-III and is being implemented by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) on behalf of the railway ministry. The state cabinet gave an in principle nod during its meeting on Friday.

Commuting relief
The doubling of Karjat-Panvel route will cost R1,473 crore and will pave way for suburban services between Kalyan and Panvel. The current distance between Mumbai CST and Karjat via Kalyan is 100 km, which will be reduced to 77 km once the project is completed, said a government official.

Currently, commuters wanting to travel from Karjat or Kalyan to Navi Mumbai change suburban services at Thane, which is becoming one of the most congested railway station, he said. Similarly, the Thane-Turbhe route connecting the Central Railway and the Trans-Harbour services in Navi Mumbai is getting choked.

The two-km-long elevated corridor, connecting Kalwa near Thane and Airoli in Navi Mumbai, will cost of R336 crore and is said to ease congestion at Thane. The connectivity between Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai needs to be improved considering the burgeoning population in the MMR, the official said.