Mumbai-Pune rail yatra could get shorter

Plans are afoot for third and fourth lines between Lonavala and Pune. Representation pic

With the existing road traffic saturated, there is hope for faster rail journeys between Mumbai and Pune. The government is working to revive the late 1990s plan for the construction of third and fourth lines between Lonavala and Pune, which would take the load off the main line, allowing faster connectivity between two major cities.

At a review meeting with railway officials, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday asked them to work out revised estimates and get fresh approvals from the Railway Board so that the state government could take the project ahead.

The cost of the two lines is to be equally borne by the Centre and state government. As per the earlier plan, the state government had assured 50 per cent share of the expenditure will include nominal interest rate in advance. For this, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) were all going to contribute according to the principally agreed upon assurance.

A primary survey for new lines between Pune and Lonavala was first sanctioned in 1997-1998 and a report was submitted to the Railway Board in 2001 at a proposed cost of Rs 322.44 crore. As far as possible, third and fourth lines will follow the existing alignment including curves. The Pune-Lonavala suburban trains and goods trains could be shifted off the main line to the third and fourth lines.

Pune-Lonavala is a double-line electrified section of 63.84 km and a part of Pune suburban railway with 17 stations, including Pune and Lonavala. It is worth noting that the local train services on the Pune-Lonavala section started 45 years ago, on March 11, 1978. At present, local trains cover the distance in 1 hour and 20 minutes, which is a significant improvement from the previous travel time of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Rs 322.44 cr
Cost of the project estimated in 2001