Centre approves Mumbai-Indore rail line

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday approved a 309 km new line project providing the shortest rail connectivity between the two major commercial hubs of Mumbai and Indore.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the project with the cost of Rs 18,036 crore and it will be completed by 2028-29, Railway and Information Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told media here.

The project covers six districts in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and would increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 309 km.

The project is expected to provide direct connectivity to Pithampur Auto Cluster (which houses 90 large units and 700 small and medium industries) from the gateway port of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) at Navi Mumbai JNPA and other state ports.

The project once completed is likely to promote tourism in the region by providing a shorter route between western/southwestern parts of the country and central India. This will increase the tourist footfall to various tourist/religious places in the Ujjain–Indore region, including the Sri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple, a statement from the Railways said.

It will also provide direct connectivity to the millet-producing districts of Madhya Pradesh and onion-producing districts of Maharashtra which will facilitate the distribution of the same to the northern and southern parts of the country, it said.

This is an essential route, the statement said, for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertiliser, containers, iron ore, steel, cement, petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL).

The capacity augmentation work will result in additional freight traffic of a magnitude of about 26 MTPA (million tonnes per annum).

The project will generate direct employment of about 102 lakh man-days, or what Vaishnaw described as "human days", during the construction.

The project is a result of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity which has been possible through integrated planning and will provide seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods and services, the statement added.

"With this project, 30 new stations would be constructed, providing enhanced connectivity to the aspirational district of Barwani."

The new line project will provide connectivity to approximately 1,000 villages and about 30 lakh population.