In a visit to Mumbai last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the double-engine governments at the Centre and the state are committed to the transformation of the financial capital of India. Now, with the Budget out and Railways announcing its plans for 2023-24, the entire state of Maharashtra seems set for an upgrade in terms of trains and connectivity.
In the last few days, the state has received a nod for an unprecedented outlay for the upcoming financial year, apart from two Vande Bharat trains for trial, and in-principle nod for a long-pending Pune-Nashik Semi-High Speed Railway Line.
For the financial year 2023-24, Maharashtra has received an unprecedented outlay of Rs 13,539 crore for a range of railway infrastructure and safety projects. The average outlay for the state from 2009 to 2014 period was Rs 1,171 crore, that jumped by almost 12 times in 2023-24.
Two More Vande Bharats
While there is no official announcement so far, it is expected that PM Modi is likely to launch Vande Bharat Express trains on Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Shirdi routes on February 10.
Manufactured at the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory, the two semi-high speed trains, during the last few days, have navigated through two steepest ghats of India during their test rides – Thal Ghat and Bhor Ghat. These are considered to be the toughest Railway ghat sections as for every 37-metre run, there is a rise of one metre.
The Vande Bharat train crossed the ghat sections without a banker, which is a pushing locomotive. All the trains passing through these sections needed an additional pushing locomotive from behind from the Mumbai side to prevent them from rolling back.
So far, all the trains that leave Mumbai for Nashik or Pune and beyond need banker engines to complete the ghat journey safely. But Vande Bharat is an exception.
Speaking to News18, a ministry official said the Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat will pass through the Bhor Ghat while the Mumbai-Shirdi train will run through the Thal Ghat.
“So far, trains going towards, say Pune, had to stop at Karjat, even though it was not a scheduled stoppage. These halts were usually for 5-10 minutes so that the bankers could be attached to the trains. During the test rides, Vande Bharat managed to sail the ghats with incredible efficiency without any need for the bankers,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official further explained that the Vande Bharat managed to run through the section with ease as it has parking brakes, which stops the train from rolling back or slipping ahead while running on slopes.
Pune-Nashik Semi-High Speed Railway Line Gets Ministry Nod
On Sunday, the Railway Ministry gave in-principle approval for the Pune-Nashik Semi-High Speed Railway Line. This project has been in demand for a long time. Despite the detailed project report being finalised in 2018, the project was in pipeline mode.
According to the Maharashtra Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) – a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and the Maharashtra government – Pune and Nashik cities have undergone rapid economic growth in recent years, and have experienced a sharp rise in the volume of people and goods being transported along the route. Despite this, at present there is no direct link between these important Maharashtra cities.
“The new proposal is not only likely to draw more trains, but at the same time, high-speed travel will also attract more passengers to the route. It will also act as a catalyst to the industrial corridor along the belt, thus generating more revenue to the region,” the body, also known as Maharail, said in a statement.
Further, Mumbai, Pune and Nashik are together referred to as the golden triangle of Maharashtra where pace of socioeconomic development is very fast, it added.
The new semi-high speed 235 km corridor aims to reduce the travel time between the two cities to just two hours from five hours now.
Trains can run at a speed of 200 kmph on the route. At least 24 stations have been proposed under the project, which will have 18 tunnels passing through Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik. The expected cost of the project is Rs 16.039 crore and completion period is 1,200 days, around three years, from the financial closure.
“This will also be the first low cost semi-high speed corridor in the country and will have container depots along the rail corridor. It will provide seamless connectivity to industrial zones of Pune and Nashik, including Alandi, Chakan, Khed, Manchar, Narayangaon, Sinnar and Satpur.
“The corridor will push the economic development in the area with fast track movement of cargo by Railways. The fast track movement of cargo will open a new revenue stream for industries,” a ministry official said.
With record outlay for the next financial year, the ministry is hopeful that the state will witness massive transformation in train connectivity.
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