The Indian Government has approved the Pune-Nashik broad-gauge railway project which will allow trains to run at speeds of 200 km/h.
The double-track railway line will cross three districts of Maharashtra region such as Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik providing seamless connectivity to industrial zones of Pune and Nashik.
Rs16,039 crore (USD 2.1 billion) is the total value of Pune-Nashik broad-gauge railway project which includes a 235.15 km line, crossing 18 tunnels totalling 21.7 km and 19 viaducts with a total length of 16 km. The longest viaduct will have a length of 3.12 km, while the longest tunnel, 6.64 km.
The railway line will start from new proposed Pune railway station and it will be constructed as an elevated line to Hadapsar and from here, to Nashik, on a ground level track.
Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MRIDC) has already submitted the detailed project report to the Government of Maharashtra and is awaiting approval. Once, the approvals are granted from Maharashtra government, the project is estimated to be completed within three years.
MRIDC is a JV of the Government of Maharashtra and Ministry of Railways on a 50:50 basis with an objective to develop the railway infrastructure in the state of Maharashtra.
The semi high-speed railway line will provide direct connection between Pune and Nashik, allowing a reduced travel time to 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The line will be operated by six-car passenger trains designed to run at speeds of 200 km/h on broad line and depending on the demand, the trains will have 12 and 16 cars.
“This project will not only attract goods trains but also the high-speed train will attract more passengers to the route as the travel time will reduce less than 2 hours,” said Rajesh Kumar Jaiswal, Managing Director of MahaRail.
MRIDC is also planning the development of a private freight terminal, a dry port, multimodal and commercial hub and warehouses and sidings in the industrial zones crossed by the new railway line. The industrial sites of Alandi, Chakan, Khed, Manchar, Narayangaon, Sinnar and Satpur will benefit of the new railway connection which will also cater other important special economic zones in Khed, Narayangaon and Manchar.
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