Within the next two weeks, train service on the Seawoods-Kharkopar-Uran rail corridor will start after more than 25 years of delay. In light of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region's (MMR) growing growth and proximity to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the project's long-delayed completion is essential.
The rail line will be opened up to Uran in the next 8 to 10 days, stated Raosaheb Danve, Minister of State for Railways, on Saturday. Danve also paid a visit to CSMT and stated that the renovations to the station would begin in January.
With a 216-month schedule overrun, the project was one of the most delayed in the state, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation's project monitoring division.
All of the work on the rail route up to Uran was already finished by the Central Railway (CR) in March. However, political dignitaries must be present for the 14.3-kilometre-long second section of the Kharkopar-Uran corridor to be officially opened.
The 26.7-km Belapur-Seawoods-Uran rail route, also known as the Fourth Corridor, would be able to operate local trains once the CR is operational. The rail authorities confirmed a speed of 70 km/h on the corridor earlier this year after local train trials. The Kharkopar-Uran line has also received the approval of the Commissioner of Railway Safety for train operations.
At the moment, Belapur-Uran-Kharkopar local train services are run by the CR. The project was completed in two phases: the first, consisting of 12.4 km between Nerul/Belapur and Kharkopar, opened to passengers in November 2018, and the second, consisting of the final 14.3 km, is currently complete.
The project will be helpful to travellers going to the MTHL and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and will play a significant role in connecting the planned Navi Mumbai Airport. CSMT to Uran commuters will be able to reach Uran in about one hour and 45 minutes once the full corridor is operating. Gavhanpada, Ranjanpada, Nhava-Sheva, Dronagiri, and Uran would be the five stations along the line. Two main bridges, 41 smaller bridges, two road underbridges, and four road overbridges will all be present.
The project has previously experienced many missed deadlines. Although the line was supposed to be finished by September 2022, opposition from neighbouring villages over compensation issues caused several parts of construction to be put on hold.
The project's current cost is around 495 crore, compared to an earlier estimate of approximately ₹495 crore. In 1996–1997, construction on this rail project began. The CR now runs 40 trips with two 12-car trains, serving 38,000 to 40,000 commuters each day on average.
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