Three new railway projects sanctioned for Maharashtra: Railway minister to Parliament

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To enhance rail connectivity between Pune and Nashik, the Centre has sanctioned the doubling of the 248-km-long Daund-Manmad railway line. Of the total distance, 178 km of the track has already been commissioned, and work for the remaining section is currently underway.

In addition, surveys for three new railway projects have been approved. These include the construction of a new double line between Nashik and Sainagar Shirdi (82 km) and between Pune and Ahmednagar (125 km), and the doubling of the Sainagar Shirdi-Puntamba section (17 km). The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for these projects will be prepared upon the completion of the surveys.

This information was given by Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, in response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Vaishnaw further shared that the DPR for a direct rail connection between Pune and Nashik was prepared by Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MRIDC), a joint venture between the state (50%) and the Railway Ministry (50%). However, the proposed alignment in the DPR passed through Narayangaon, where the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune, operates the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) Observatory. GMRT is used by researchers from 31 countries for scientific observations. The alignment was found unacceptable owing to its potential adverse impact on the operations of the GMRT Observatory.

Pune and Nashik are already connected by rail via two routes: the Pune-Kalyan-Nashik route (265 km) and the Pune-Daund-Ahmednagar-Manmad-Nashik route (387 km).

The sanctioning of railway projects is undertaken continuously by the Railways. Projects are approved based on factors such as potential profitability, traffic projections, last-mile connectivity, addressing missing links, alleviating congestion on saturated lines, and socio-economic considerations. The availability of funds and competing demands also play a role in determining which projects are taken up, depending on the liabilities of ongoing projects.

Steps taken to improve working conditions for rail track maintainers: Minister Tells Lok Sabha

The government has implemented several measures to improve the working conditions of track maintainers, who are integral members of the Indian Railway workforce, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

According to PTI, in response to the concerns raised by Congress lawmaker Kodikunnil Suresh about the challenges faced by track maintainers, including inadequate safety measures, heavy workloads, and limited career progression opportunities, Vaishnaw highlighted the steps taken to address these issues.

"Track maintainers have been equipped with essential safety gear for working in hazardous environments," Vaishnaw said. Key safety equipment provided to trackmen includes retro-reflective safety jackets, safety shoes, gloves, helmets with detachable miner's lights, tricolour LED torches, raincoats, and winter jackets.

To improve efficiency and reduce the physical strain on track maintainers, the government has also introduced lightweight tools such as spanners, hammers, and crowbars, the minister added. Furthermore, mechanised track maintenance using various types of track machines has been implemented to lessen the need for manual labour.

(With PTI inputs)