Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 | Indian Railways have big plans for state: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Mumbai: The Indian Railways have big plans for Maharashtra and projects to the tune of Rs 1,64,000 crore are in various stages of execution and implementation, according to Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology.

“These are game changer projects and would totally transform the existing railway infrastructure of the state,” Vaishnaw told DH in Mumbai in the run up to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. 

The suburban transportation system of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region - which is considered the lifeline of the financial capital of India too would see a major facelift. 

Vaishnaw said that the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus would undergo a massive transformation.

“Of the Rs 1,64,000 crore projects for Maharashtra, Rs.16,240 crores are under execution in the MMR itself,” the bureaucrat-turned-politician said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally looking at various aspects of projects in the western Indian state. 

The MMR includes the twin districts of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban and large stretches of the neighbouring districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad. 

The Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) run the suburban railway network.

Recently, Vaishnaw had reviewed the projects in Mumbai-MMR and himself travelled in a local train to have a first-hand assessment. 

The Central Railway projects under implementation are CSMT-Kurla 5th & 6th line (17.5 km) project of which Phase-I Parel – Kurla of 10.1Km is targeted to be completed by December 2025, Kalyan – Asangaon 4th line (32 km) project for which land acquisition is in progress (expected to be completed by

December 2026), Phase-l Asangaon - Kasara (expected to be completed by February 2025) & Phase-II Kalyan- Asangaon (which would be over by December 2025) of

Kalyan-Kasara 3rd line (67 km)  project and Nilje-Kopar double chord line (5 km) project are under progress.

Western Railway’s Mumbai Central-Borivali 6th line (30 km) project of which Khar- Goregaon section (8.9 km) is commissioned and remaining Goregaon - Borivali (8.2 km)  is targeted to be completed by March 2025 also for Naigaon - Juichandra double chord line (6 Km) project work is under progress.

It also includes Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) projects -  Panvel-Karjat (29.6 km) suburban corridor whose earth work, tunneling and bridge works is in progress and likely to be completed by December 2025, Airoli-Kalwa elevated suburban corridor link project whose Phase-I Digha Gaon Station has already been commissioned; utility shifting, earth work and bridge work of Kalyan Badlapur 3rd & 4th line (14.05 km) project is in progress (expected to be completed by December 2025), earth work and bridge work of Virar-Dahanu Road 3rd & 4th line (64 km) project is in progress and Utility shifting for Borivali-Virar 5th & 6th line (26 km) project is also ongoing, which is expected to be completed by December 2027.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

Subscribe and follow DH on Whatsapp, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to never miss out on anything.