MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): As a major boost to the transport infrastructure development in Maharashtra’s state, the much-awaited Pune-Nashik Semi High-Speed Railway Line has received approval from Maharashtra Government.
This Semi High-Speed Corridor will reduce the travel distance between the two cities to 1 hr and 45 minutes from 6 hrs at present. The project will be executed by Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MRIDC), an equal joint venture between the state and the railways.
The expected cost of the project is Rs. 16,039 crores. The corridor’s total length will be 235 km and passengers trains will operate at top speed of 200 km per hour while freight trains will operate at top speed of 100 km per hour. There will be 24 stations along with 18 tunnels and 19 viaducts on the route.
According to the Managing director of MRIDC, “This project will be a role model for the development of new Railway Line networks in Maharashtra. This project is unique because it is the first Broad-Gauge Semi-High Speed Rail Line in India and in the world. It is designed in such a way that goods train, conventional passenger train as well as High-Speed train can run on the same route.”
The State Government has already begun the process of land acquisition for the project. The construction of the corridor will lead to the region’s economic development and provide seamless connectivity to the Industrial zones of Pune and Nashik.
