Railway Board panel clears 69.23-km direct Panvel-Vasai suburban line at Rs 12,710.82 crore

Rail commuters in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region may soon be spared the need to get off at Kurla or Dadar and board another local to travel from Panvel to Vasai-Virar. The Railway Board's Project Appraisal Committee has approved a proposal for a direct suburban rail line between Panvel and Vasai.

The line is proposed under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3-B. It will be 69.23 km long, with 17 stations. About 28 km of it will be elevated. The estimated cost of the whole project is around Rs 12,710.82 crore.

At present, passengers going from Panvel towards Vasai-Virar must change trains at Kurla or Dadar. Once the new line is built, this will end. East-to-west travel across Greater Mumbai is expected to become easier and faster. On completion, the project will also open the way for a direct local service between Navi Mumbai, Bhiwandi and Vasai-Virar. An elevated section will have to be built on this route to cross the highway and Vasai creek.

The state government had given the project in-principle approval before the Railway Board committee cleared it. The approval of the Centre's NITI Aayog and the Finance Ministry is now required. A tender process will begin after that, followed by the appointment of a contractor, and only then can construction actually start. Senior railway officials said the responsibility for implementing the project has been given to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC).

The line is also seen as important for new growth centres such as the proposed third and fourth Mumbai. New residential colonies, commercial complexes and industrial areas are spreading across the Greater Mumbai region. Jobs are increasing in these areas, so the need for public transport will also grow. The proposed Vadhavan port in Palghar district will add to the importance of the route. Once the port opens, industrial development and job creation in the surrounding areas are expected to gather pace.