Mumbai: Three years after it was announced, land acquisition for the eagerly awaited Rs 10,948 crore Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3, is likely to begin by the end of January. The project is expected to improve the suburban railway network in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The project envisages doubling the railway lines between Panvel and Karjat stations, two additional railway lines between Virar and Dahanu and an elevated corridor between Airoli and Kalwa railway stations,” said a Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) official.
Last week the proposal was approved by the central government and by the end of January, the railway authorities, along with the state government, will begin the process to acquire land for the project,” said the official. A joint venture of the MRVC, the state government and Indian Railways to implement suburban projects, an estimated 156 hectares of land will be needed for MUTP-3.
Once the project is completed, passengers will be able to travel by suburban local trains between Panvel and Karjat without having to change trains at Thane. There is only one railway line, used by both outstation and goods trains between Virar and Dahanu. The addition of new lines to the rail network will mean an increase in the number of local services, and also improve punctuality, according to MRVC officials.
project deadline is 2022 but officials are not sure this will be met as reforms from the MUTP-2 project are yet to be implemented. Further, funding is a major concern for the MRVC. However, under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3A, the MRVC has clubbed major projects with the expansion of the suburban railway network. Procurement of 210 AC local trains, the elevated corridor between CSMT-Panvel, too, are included in it.
