Pune (Maharashtra) [India], June 17 (ANI): Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said nearly Rs 2 lakh crore worth of railway investments are being undertaken in Maharashtra.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony of the Pune-Shirdi train in Pune railway station, he also highlighted proposed freight corridor linkages between key ports and regions.
He said the Pune-Nashik rail issue has been addressed through an alternative route plan that has already been sanctioned.
Speaking to the media, the Railway Minister said, “I am very pleased that nearly Rs 2 lakh crore of railway investment is being made in Maharashtra. Today, CM Devendra Fadnavis has put forward another excellent proposal: to connect JNPT and Wadwan, two major ports, with Vidarbha and Marathwada, through the complete Samruddhi Mahamarg, a dedicated freight corridor has been proposed. This will provide direct connectivity to approximately 75% area of Maharashtra. The target of 8% reduction in logistics costs will be achieved… Maharashtra will receive another benefit: the East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor will also connect North Maharashtra to a large extent. So, North Maharashtra will also benefit from direct and complete connectivity to the Wadwan port on the West Coast… Maharashtra will benefit from two more dedicated freight corridors. So, congratulations to all of you for the increased economic activity that railway connectivity will bring.”
He added, “The Pune-Nashik issue has been resolved. A direct route is not being built. It’s become clear that it’s technically not feasible. The route will be Pune-Nashik, Pune-Ahalianagar, Ahalianagar-Shirdi, and Shirdi-Nashik… a lot of work has been sanctioned… A large area has been sanctioned. Work has also begun… We will benefit from it very soon.”
Vaishnaw said India’s bullet train project is progressing rapidly, adding that the first section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor is expected to begin operations next year.
He further stated that the proposed high-speed rail network would significantly cut travel times, with the Mumbai-Pune corridor expected to take just 48 minutes, effectively turning the two cities into a “twin-city” economic zone.
“Our bullet train project is progressing rapidly. The first section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will begin operation next year, and its inauguration will take place. Work is progressing rapidly. Now the country has the capability to build bullet trains. So the Prime Minister has decided on a corridor. This decision will make the Mumbai-Pune corridor, a 170-km corridor, turn into just 48 minutes for both cities. This means that Mumbai and Pune will become twin cities, and this facility will become a very good economic corridor and an excellent cultural centre… the 500-km route from Pune to Hyderabad will be reduced to a journey of approximately 2 hours and 8 mins. This means that Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vapi, and Thane will all become a very good economic ecosystem,” he said.
Vaishnaw said the proposed direct Pune-Nashik semi-high-speed rail corridor has been dropped after it was found to be technically unfeasible, adding that an alternative route alignment has been approved and work is already underway.
He said the revised connectivity plan linking Pune-Ahilyanagar-Shirdi-Nashik will improve regional access, while highlighting that ongoing railway capacity expansion has enabled the launch of new trains from Pune.
Vaishnaw also noted that station redevelopment work is progressing across key locations, including Nashik Road, Nagpur and Ajni, with efforts being made to ensure minimal disruption, safety compliance and preservation of heritage structures.
“One can see the direct result of the work we’ve undertaken: we’ve recently been able to launch several new trains from Pune. This was made possible by capacity expansion. At the same time, work on various stations is also progressing very well… These stations are all very complex and have very heavy traffic. But the work is being done with great effort and care, ensuring minimal traffic disruption and utmost safety… It requires great care to ensure traffic is not disrupted. At Nashik Road station and Nagpur station, all the work has been done while taking care of heritage buildings. And at Ajni station, a modern high-rise building has been constructed. The station work is also very good,” Vaishnaw said.
He said a comprehensive master plan has been prepared to double Pune’s railway capacity through multiple ongoing infrastructure projects across key stations in the city and adjoining areas.
“To double Pune’s railway capacity, numerous projects have been undertaken. A master plan has been developed after comprehensively studying the entire area. Considerable work has already been completed, and further work is underway… Work has been undertaken in several stations, including Khadki, Pune, Ghorpadi, Hadapsar, Shivajinagar, Fursungi, and Alandi… This is Pune city’s largest junction, and until now, it has had 6 platforms. Now, it’s being doubled to create 12 platforms, significantly increasing Pune’s capacity. The maintenance work previously performed at Pune station is being shifted to Ghorpadi, Fursungi, and some in Alandi, further increasing capacity. A mega terminal is being built in Alandi… it will be able to handle 35 trains daily… Overall, this work will take approximately 3 years to complete in Pune… With much of the work completed over the next 1,000 days, Pune’s capacity area has doubled. This means we’ll be able to run 20 extra trains,” he said.
He added, “We will pay close attention to Pune’s connectivity. It has good and regular connectivity with all the major cities of Maharashtra. We will start trains connecting Marathwada, Konkan, Vidarbha, the entire western Maharashtra region, and the northern Maharashtra region. We will also be able to operate many trains to meet the demand for Pune from across the country.” (ANI)
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