Forever News
Mumbai: The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned the construction of the 3rd and 4th railway lines between Badlapur and Karjat as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project–3B (MUTP-3B), following approval by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. The project had earlier received consent from the Government of Maharashtra and forms a key component of the comprehensive MUTP-3B proposal submitted by Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) Ltd.
The sanctioned project involves the quadrupling of the existing suburban railway section over a length of 32.46 km, covering six stations—Badlapur, Vangani, Shelu, Neral, Bhivpuri Road and Karjat. For project execution, around 37.79 hectares of private land will be required, in addition to government and railway land.
The total project cost has been assessed at ₹1,324 crore, to be funded equally by the Government of Maharashtra and the Ministry of Railways through Gross Budgetary Support. MRVC has been entrusted with the execution and delivery of the infrastructure works.
The Badlapur–Karjat section forms part of the Mumbai–Chennai High Density Route, one of the country’s busiest rail corridors. The project aims to significantly enhance line capacity to meet growing suburban passenger demand and increasing freight movement linked to upcoming ports, logistics hubs and expanding suburban nodes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Rail capacity studies and mobility assessments indicate that the additional lines will enable effective segregation of suburban and mainline traffic, reduce congestion at stations, improve operational flexibility for long-distance trains and enhance passenger safety through boundary protection and station mobility upgrades.
Commenting on the development, Vilas S. Wadekar, Chairman and Managing Director, MRVC Ltd, said the project would result in complete segregation of mainline and suburban traffic in the Kalyan–Karjat section, ensuring smoother commuter movement, improved reliability of train operations and more efficient freight handling on the high-density corridor.
The project is expected to be completed within three to four years following the completion of land acquisition.
