Pune-Nashik Semi-High-Speed Rail Project On Agenda As Murlidhar Mohol Meets Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday evening and said he met Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and held a discussion about the Pune-Nashik Semi-High-Speed Railway and many other projects concerning Pune.

Mohol wrote, "I met Union Minister for Railways and Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw and had a detailed discussion regarding various issues related to Pune Lok Sabha constituency and its surroundings." "There was a detailed discussion on the redevelopment of Pune Railway Station, Pune-Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat trains, Pune-Nashik Semi-High-Speed Train, increasing the number of trains on the Pune-Jodhpur route, and various issues related to Akashvani Pune," he added.

The Pune-Nashik Semi-High-Speed Railway Project has sparked controversy even before its launch. The railway was originally planned to pass via Sangamner, but a sudden change in the route has triggered strong opposition from locals and political leaders.

The high-speed train was initially designed to run via Sangamner, but due to the presence of the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) project in Junnar taluka, the central government decided to alter the route. As a result, the train is likely to run via Pune-Ahilyanagar-Shirdi-Nashik, leading to strong protests from residents of Nashik, Sinnar, Sangamner, Alephata, Narayangaon, Kalamb, Manchar, Rajgurunagar and Chakan. Many demand that the railway should follow the original Sangamner route.

Meanwhile, Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje had sent a letter to Vaishnaw regarding the route. Responding to the letter, the Railway Ministry has instructed the concerned department to conduct a thorough investigation into the route of this project. Replying to Waje's letter, Vaishnaw wrote, "The concerned department has been directed to conduct a detailed inquiry into the construction of the Nashik-Pune Semi High-Speed Railway Project."