Navi Mumbai: The construction work of the Panvel-Karjat suburban corridor is likely to be completed by March 2025. It will save 30 minutes of travel time between CSMT and Karjat.
The officials from Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation ( MRVC) have confirmed that the construction of a flyover and several bridges between Panvel and Karjat suburban corridors is now in full swing. After completion of this work, commuters will reach Panvel from CST in just one hour forty-five minutes, which is 30 minutes less than the current time.
The doubling of the suburban railway corridor between Panvel and Karjat is a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3. Due to hurdles in acquiring land, the project has been stuck since getting a green signal in 2016.
Panvel-Karjat section has a single line
Currently, the Panvel-Karjat section has a single line which is being used for the operation of a few long-distance passenger trains and goods trains. To convert the section into a suburban corridor, one additional track will be added with new station buildings at Mohope, Chowk, Karjat, Chikhale, and Panvel stations. The sanctioned cost of this project is Rs 2782.
A total of 56.4 hectares of private land in the 24 villages of Panvel, Khalapur, and Karjat Talukas was required for the project. From this, 42.55 hectares of private land were acquired.
Similarly, a total of 4.4 hectares of government land was required for the project, out of which 4.4 hectares have been acquired.
Additionally, the purchase process for the 9.18 hectares of forest land (4.96 hectares of government and 4.22 hectares of private forest) needed for the project is currently underway. Work has begun on the entire route because CCF Thane has already granted permission to work in forest areas, according to an MRVC official.
Bridge construction work is currently underway
In response to questions regarding the project's status, officials stated that in addition to earthwork, bridge construction work is currently underway. Both the road overbridge and railroad flyover at the Pune Expressway have opened. As part of this project, three tunnels, 44 bridges, 15 road underpasses (RUB), 7 road overbridges (ROB), and a flyover will be built.
"At this time, the suburban corridor between Panvel and Karjat is undergoing full construction. Subhash Chand Gupta, the executive in charge of MRVC, promised that the project would be finished by March 2025.
"The burden on the central railway main line will also be lessened after this project is finished. On this line, it is probable that travellers from Krajat and the surrounding districts will change.
At the moment, the central railway's suburban section's Thane-Kalyan line is one of the busiest. The load on the Thane-Kalyan stretch would be lessened after another option for Karjat becomes available because the crowd of Krajat trains will be distributed, according to an MRVC officer.
