The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has made a provision of ₹100 crores for the Panvel-Karjat Central Railway Project in the budget for the financial year 2023-24. The Panvel-Karjat railway project is a double-line railway project, and it has been sanctioned under MUTP III and is being undertaken by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC).
Till February, around 19 percent of civil work for the project was already completed. The project is expected to be completed by December 2025. The doubling of the Panvel-Karjat railway route will provide an additional suburban corridor between CSMT and Karjat. The project is also seen as a catalyst for the further economic development of Panvel, Karjat, and NAINA areas.
Fuding for the project shared by Maharashtra Government, MMRDA and MRVC
“The project aims to improve connectivity between Panvel, Karjat and Mumbai, and reduce travel distance by 23 km,” said an official from CIDCO. The project’s estimated cost is around ₹2783 crore, with funding being shared by the Government of Maharashtra, MRVC, MMRDA and CIDCO. “CIDCO’s share is ₹695.75 crore, and it has paid Rs₹42.42 crore to MRVC for the project so far. A provision of ₹100 crores has been made for the year 2023-24,” said the official.
In addition, CIDCO has also made a provision of ₹23 crores for the development of passenger Terminus/New Coaching Complex at Panvel with maintenance facilities at Kalamboli. The Central Railway has planned to develop a Coaching Terminus for long distance trains in Navi Mumbai as most of the long-distance trains to different parts of the country originate from Mumbai-CSMT, Kurla, Bandra in Mumbai.
Panvel is most suitable for New Coaching Complex
The people of Navi Mumbai have to travel to Mumbai for boarding or alighting long distance trains. Panvel, the only mainline station in Navi Mumbai, is well-connected by suburban trains and roads, and is identified as the most suitable location for the new Coaching Complex.
CIDCO will fund 67% of the total cost for the coaching complex at Panvel with maintenance facilities at Kalamboli and the remaining 33% by Railways. “The estimated cost of the project is ₹23 crores and a provision for the same has been made for the year 2023-24,” said the official.
