Lok Sabha Question No. 5487 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Railway Connectivity for Hingoli District
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Aashtikar Patil Nagesh Bapurao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5487 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## RAILWAY CONNECTIVITY FOR HINGOLI DISTRICT

## 5487. SHRI AASHTIKAR PATIL NAGESH BAPURAO:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government is aware that railway connectivity in Hingoli district of Maharashtra is limited and requires further expansion to meet the growing transportation needs of passengers, students, traders and farmers;
- (b) whether the Government has received requests from public representatives and passengers for introduction of new train services connecting  Hingoli  district  of  Maharashtra  with  major  cities  of  the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has any proposal for introduction of new train services, extension of existing trains, or increase in frequency of trains passing through railway stations in Hingoli district to major cities such as Mumbai/Pune and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether any survey has been conducted for development or modernization of railway stations  and  improvement  of passenger amenities in the district during the last three years; and
- (e)  if  so,  the  details  of  such  proposals  including  present  status/feasibility assessment/projects approved/funds allocated and the expected timeline for completion of such railway development works in Hingoli district?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e) Hingoli Deccan is served by 38 train services providing connectivity inter alia to Mumbai,  Pune, Amritsar,  Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur. Presently, Hingoli Deccan is connected to Mumbai by the daily service of

§

12071/12072 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) -Hingoli Deccan Jan Shatabdi Express and to Pune by the bi-weekly service of 11405/06 Pune-Amravati Express. The list of trains serving Hingoli Deccan station is as under:

|   SN | Train No & Name                                               |
|------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 11403 Nagpur -Kolhapur Express                                |
|    2 | 11404 Kolhapur-Nagpur Express                                 |
|    3 | 11405 Pune-Amravati Express                                   |
|    4 | 11406 Amravati-Pune Express                                   |
|    5 | 12071 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) -Hingoli Deccan Express |
|    6 | 12072 Hingoli Deccan-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Express  |
|    7 | 12421 Nanded-Amritsar Express                                 |
|    8 | 12422 Amritsar-Nanded Express                                 |
|    9 | 12439 Nanded-Shri Ganganagar Express                          |
|   10 | 12440 Sri Ganganagar-Nanded Express                           |
|   11 | 12485 Nanded-Shri Ganganagar Express                          |
|   12 | 12486 Sri Ganganagar-Nanded Express                           |
|   13 | 12719 Jaipur -Hyderabad Express                               |
|   14 | 12720 Hyderabad-Jaipur Express                                |
|   15 | 12751 Nanded-Jammu Tawi Express                               |
|   16 | 12752 Jammu Tawi -Nanded Express                              |
|   17 | 12765 Tirupati-Amravati Express                               |
|   18 | 12766 Amravati-Tirupati Express                               |
|   19 | 17605 Kacheguda-Bhagat Ki Kothi Express                       |
|   20 | 17606 Bhagat Ki Kothi-Kacheguda Express                       |
|   21 | 17639 Kacheguda-Akola Express                                 |
|   22 | 17640 Akola -Kacheguda Express                                |
|   23 | 17641 Kacheguda-Narkher Express                               |
|   24 | 17642 Narkher-Kacheguda Express                               |
|   25 | 17683 Akola -Purna Express                                    |

|   26 | 17684 Purna -Akola Express                    |
|------|-----------------------------------------------|
|   27 | 19301 Dr. Ambedkar Nagar -Yesvantpur Express  |
|   28 | 19302 Yesvantpur - Dr. Ambedkar Nagar Express |
|   29 | 19713 Jaipur -Kurnool City Express            |
|   30 | 19714 Kurnool City-Jaipur Express             |
|   31 | 22709 Nanded-Amb Andaura Express              |
|   32 | 22710 Amb Andaura-Nanded Express              |
|   33 | 22723 Nanded-Shri Ganganagar Express          |
|   34 | 22724 Shri Ganganagar-Nanded Express          |
|   35 | 57655 Parli Vaijnath-Akola Passenger          |
|   36 | 57656 Akola -Purna Passenger                  |
|   37 | 77613 Purna -Akola DMU                        |
|   38 | 77614 Akola -Parli Vaijnath DMU               |

Further, proposals/ requests/ suggestions/ representations, both formal and informal inter alia for introduction of trains, extension of existing trains, or increase in frequency of trains are received from Members of Parliament, elected  representatives,  organizations/rail  users  etc.  at  various  levels including Railway Board, Zonal Railways, Divisional Offices etc. As receipt of  such  proposals/  requests/  suggestions  is  a  continuous  and  dynamic process,  centralized  compendium  of  such  requests  is  not  maintained. However, these are examined and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to time.

Besides, introduction of new train services is an on-going process, which depends on various factors including-

-  Capacity of that section
-  Availability of path
-  Availability of required rolling stock

-  Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock
-  Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets.
-  Occupancy and the traffic requirement of the section

## Amrit Bharat Stations:

Ministry  of  Railways  has  launched  Amrit  Bharat  Station  Scheme  for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach.

The scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master planning includes:

-  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas
-  Integration of station with both sides of city
-  Improvement of station building
-  Improvement  of  waiting  halls,  toilets,  sitting  arrangement,  water booths
-  Provision of wider foot over bridge/air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic
-  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp
-  Improvement /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms
-  Provision  of  kiosks  for  local  products  through  schemes  like  'One Station One Product'
-  Parking areas, Multimodal integration
-  Amenities for Divyangjans
-  Better passenger information systems
-  Provision of executive lounges,  nominated  spaces for business meetings,  landscaping,  etc.  keeping  in  view  the  necessity  at  each station

The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term.

So  far,  1,338  stations  have  been  identified  for  development  under  this scheme,  out  of  which  132  stations  including  Hingoli  Deccan  station  of Hingoli district, are located in Maharashtra. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Maharashtra are as following:

| State       |   No. of Stations | Name of Stations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|-------------|-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Maharashtra |               132 | Ahmednagar, Ajni (Nagpur), Akalkot Road, Akola, Akurdi, Amalner, Amgaon, Amravati, Andheri, Badnera, Balharshah, Bandra Terminus, Baramati, Belapur, Bhandara Road, Bhokar, Bhusawal, Borivali, Byculla, Chalisgaon, Chanda Fort, Chandrapur, Charni Road, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Chinchpokli, Chinchwad, Dadar (CR), Dadar (WR), Dahisar, Daund, Dehu Road, Devlali, Dhamangaon, Dharangaon, Dharashiv, Dharmabad , Dhule, Diva, Dudhani, Gangakher , Godhani, Gondia, Grant Road, Hadapsar, Hatkanangale, Hazur Sahib Nanded, Himayatnagar, Hinganghat, Hingoli Deccan, Igatpuri, Jalgaon, Jalna, Jeur, Jogeshwari, Kalyan Jn, Kamptee, Kandivali, Kanjur Marg, Karad, Katol, Kedgaon, Kinwat, Kopargaon, Kurduwadi Jn, Kurla Jn, Lasalgaon, Latur, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Lonand Jn, Lonavla, Lower Parel, Malad, Malkapur, Manmad Jn, Manwath Road, Marine Lines, Matunga, Miraj Jn, Mudkhed Jn, |

| Mumbai Central, Mumbra, Murtizapur Jn, Nagarsol, Nagpur Jn, Nandgaon, Nandura, Nandurbar, Narkher Jn, Nashik Road, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Junction, Pachora Jn, Palghar, Pandharpur, Panvel Jn, Parbhani Jn, Parel, Parli Vaijnath, Partur , Phaltan, Prabhadevi, Pulgaon Jn, Pune Jn, Purna Jn, Raver, Rotegaon , Sainagar Shirdi, Sandhurst Road, Sangli, Satara, Savda, Selu, Sewagram, Shahad, Shegaon, Shivaji Nagar Pune, Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur, Solapur, Talegaon, Thakurli, Thane, Titvala, Tumsar Road, Umri, Uruli, Vadala Road, Vidyavihar, Vikhroli, Wadsa, Wardha, Washim, Wathar   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Maharashtra have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 17 stations have been completed. The name  of stations  completed in Maharashtra are as following:

| State       |   No. of stations | Name of stations                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|-------------|-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Maharashtra |                17 | Amgaon, Baramati, Chanda Fort, Chinchpokli, Devlali, Dhule, Kedgaon, Lasalgaon, Lonand Jn, Matunga, Murtizapur Jn, Nandura, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Junction, Parel, Savda, Shahad, Vadala Road |

The activities for development at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of the stations is as given below:

-  Hingoli Deccan station: The works of platform shelter and improvement of platform surface of platform no. 2 have been completed. The works of  new  station  building,  improvement  of  existing  station  building, platform surface of platform no. 1, lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.
-  Palghar station: The works of new platform shelter at platform no. 2/3, platform surfacing, new coping blocks and tactile tile work at platform no. 4 have been completed. The works of utility shifting and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.
-  Diva station: The works of improvement of station building, circulating area and parking on East side, new entry gate, platform raising and flooring of platform no. 5/6 and 7/8, platform shelter at platform no. 7/8, new toilet block, sewage treatment plant on West side, improvement of  Foot  Over  Bridge  at  Kalyan  end  and  Mumbai  end  have  been completed. The work of new 6 m Foot Over Bridge has been taken up.
-  Mumbra  station:  The  works  for  improvement  of  platform  surface, seating arrangement, new toilet block, improvement of booking office, circulating  area,  sewage  treatment  plant  and  flooring  of  Foot  Over Bridge have been completed. The work of escalator has been taken up.
-  Titwala station: The works for station building, entrance gate, platform surfacing, improvement of ticket booking office, toilet block, sewage treatment plant,  improvement of two wheeler parking and  approach road on East and West side have been completed. The work of new 6 m Foot Over Bridge has been taken up.

Further,  development  /  redevelopment  /  upgradation  /  modernisation  of stations on Indian Railways including provision of passenger amenities is a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per  requirement,  subject  to  inter-se  priority  and  availability  of  funds. Development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of a station is carried out based on category of station/condition/traffic handled etc.

Development / Upgradation of railway stations is complex in nature involving safety  of  passengers  &  trains  and  requires  various  statutory  clearances such  as  fire  clearance,  heritage,  tree  cutting,  airport  clearance  etc.  The progress also gets affected due to brownfield related challenges such as shifting of utilities (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipe  lines,  power/signal  cables,  etc.),  infringements,  operation  of  trains without  hindering  passenger  movement,  speed  restrictions  due  to  works carried out in close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time.

Development  /  Upgradation  /  Modernization  of  stations  including  Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 'Customer Amenities'. The details of allocation and expenditure under Plan Head-53 are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not work-wise or station-wise or statewise. Maharashtra is covered under the jurisdiction of four railway zones, namely, Central Railway, South Central Railway, South East Central Railway and Western Railway. For these zones, an allocation of ₹3,834 crore (Revised Estimate)  has  been  made  for  the  financial  year  2025-26,  out  of  which  an expenditure of ₹ 3,886 crore (up to February, 2026) has been incurred so far.

## Projects and Budget:

Hingoli is an existing railway station on Akola-Purna railway line. To improve the connectivity in the region, survey for Akola-Purna doubling (207 Km) has been sanctioned for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR).

After preparation of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments and necessary approvals viz.  appraisal  of  NITI  Aayog,  Ministry  of  Finance  etc.  As  sanctioning  of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines depend upon appraisals and approvals by various stakeholders.

Further, Ministry of Railway has taken up the work of Wardha-Nanded (284 Km) new line project which passes through Hingoli district. Wardha-DeoliKalamb section of   38 Km of this project has been commissioned and work taken up in the balance section. An expenditure of ₹3,264 crore has been incurred upto March, 2025 with an outlay of ₹310 crore for the year 2025-26. The required 567 Ha. land has been acquired and works taken up.

## Maharashtra

Railway Budget:

Budget  allocation  during  the  last  five  years  has  increased  significantly. Budget  allocation  for  infrastructure  projects  and  safety  works, falling fully/partly in the State

## of Maharashtra is as under:

| Period   | Outlay                             |
|----------|------------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹1,171 crore/year                  |
| 2025-26  | ₹23,778 crore (More than 20 times) |

## Track Construction:

The  details  of  constructing  new  track  falling  fully/partly  in  the  State  of Maharashtra during 2009-14 and 2014-25 is as under:

| Period   | New track    | Average commissioning of new tracks   |
|----------|--------------|---------------------------------------|
|          | Commissioned |                                       |
| 2009-14  | 292 Km       | 58.4 Km/year                          |
| 2014-25  | 2,292 Km     | 208.4 Km/year (More than 3 times)     |

## Projects sanctioned:

As on 01.04.2025, 38 projects (11 New Lines, 02 Gauge Conversion and 25 Doubling),  of  a  total  length  of  5,098  km,  costing  ₹89,780  crore,  falling fully/partly in Maharashtra, including remote and tribal areas, are sanctioned. The summary is as under:-

| Category                |   No. of Projects | sanctioned Total Length (in Km)   | Length Commissioned Upto Mar'25 (Km) Exp. upto Mar'25 (₹ in Cr.)   |
|-------------------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| New Line                |                11 | 1,355 234                         | 10,504                                                             |
| Gauge Conversion        |                02 | 609 334                           | 4,286                                                              |
| Doubling/ Multitracking |                25 | 3,134 1,792                       | 24,617                                                             |
| Total                   |                38 | 5,098                             | 2,360 39,407                                                       |

Recently completed projects:

Details  of  some  of  the  recently  completed  projects  falling  fully/partly  in Maharashtra are as under:

|   SN | Project                                     | Cost (₹ in crore)   |
|------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|    1 | Pune-Miraj-Londa Doubling (467 Km)          | 4,670               |
|    2 | Jabalpur-Gondia Gauge Conversion (300 Km)   | 2,005               |
|    3 | Chhindwara-Nagpur Gauge Conversion (150 Km) | 1,512               |
|    4 | Panvel-Pen Doubling (35 Km)                 | 263                 |
|    5 | Pen-Roha Doubling (40 Km)                   | 330                 |
|    6 | Udhna-Jalgaon Doubling (307 Km)             | 2,448               |
|    7 | Mudkhed-Parbhani Doubling (81 Km)           | 673                 |

|   8 | Bhusawal-Jalgaon 3rd Line (24 Km)   | 325   |
|-----|-------------------------------------|-------|
|   9 | Jalgaon-Bhusawal 4th Line (24 Km)   | 261   |
|  10 | Daund-Gulbarga Doubling (225 Km)    | 3,182 |

## Ongoing Projects:

To further improve the Railway Infrastructure in the state of Maharashtra, following works have been taken up:-

|   SN | Name of the project                                            | Cost (₹ In crore)   |
|------|----------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|    1 | Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar)-Beed-Parli Vaijnath New Line (261 Km) | 4,957               |
|    2 | Baramati-Lonand New Line (64 Km)                               | 1,844               |
|    3 | Wardha-Nanded New Line (284 Km)                                | 3,445               |
|    4 | Indore-Manmad New Line (360 Km)                                | 18,529              |
|    5 | Wadsa-Gadchiroli New Line (52 Km)                              | 1,886               |
|    6 | Jalna-Jalgaon New Line (174 Km)                                | 5,804               |
|    7 | Daund-Manmad Doubling (236 Km)                                 | 3,037               |
|    8 | Kalyan-Kasara 3rd Line (68 Km)                                 | 1,433               |
|    9 | Wardha-Nagpur 3rd Line (76 Km)                                 | 698                 |
|   10 | Wardha-Ballarshah 3rd Line (132 Km)                            | 1,385               |
|   11 | Itarsi-Nagpur 3rd Line (280 Km)                                | 2,450               |
|   12 | Rajnandgaon-Nagpur 3rd Line (228 Km)                           | 3,545               |
|   13 | Wardha-Nagpur 4th Line (79 Km)                                 | 1,137               |
|   14 | Jalgaon-Manmad 4th Line (160 Km)                               | 2,574               |
|   15 | Bhusawal-Khandwa 3rd & 4th Line (131 Km)                       | 3,285               |
|   16 | Solapur-Tuljapur-Osmanabad New Line (95 Km)                    | 2,933               |
|   17 | Panvel-Chowk Double Line (17 Km)                               | 491                 |
|   18 | Wardha-Balharshah 4th Line (135 Km)                            | 2,226               |
|   19 | Itarsi-Nagpur 4th Line (297 Km)                                | 5,010               |

|   20 | Wardha-Bhusawal 3rd & 4th Line (314 Km)   | 9,197   |
|------|-------------------------------------------|---------|
|   21 | Asangaon-Kasara 4th Line (35 Km)          | 794     |
|   22 | Badlapur-Karjat 3rd & 4th Line (32 Km)    | 1,324   |
|   23 | Gondia-Dongargarh 4th Line (84 Km)        | 2,223   |
|   24 | Gondia-Balharshah Doubling (240 Km)       | 4,819   |

Increasing train handling capacity in Mumbai area:

Presently,  about  120  originating  Mail/Express  trains  and  about  3200  sub urban trains are handled daily in Mumbai area. To increase train handling capacity  at  various  stations  in  Mumbai  area,  following  works  have  been completed/taken up/planned at various stations:

|   SN | Location         | Details                                       |
|------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
|    1 | Bandra Terminus  | 3 Pit Lines have been completed               |
|    2 | Mumbai Central   | Platform extension for 24 LHB coaches         |
|    3 | Jogeshwari       | 2 additional platforms                        |
|    4 | Dadar            | 1 additional platform                         |
|    5 | Vasai road       | 6 platforms, 3 pit lines and 5 stabling lines |
|    6 | Panvel-Kalamboli | 5 platforms, 4 pit lines and 2 sick lines     |
|    7 | Kalyan           | 6 platforms and 4 pit lines                   |
|    8 | LTT              | 4 platforms and 2 pit lines                   |
|    9 | Parel            | 6 platforms, 5 pit lines, 6 stabling lines    |
|   10 | Virar            | 25 stabling lines                             |
|   11 | Dahanu road      | 11 stabling lines                             |
|   12 | Mira road        | 25 stabling lines                             |

Platform length extension:

In addition to above, Platform extension work at 34 stations to accommodate

15 car EMUs have been taken up.

New projects for increasing capacity:

To improve the capacity of rail network in Mumbai suburban area, Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)-II costing ₹8,087  crore,  MUTP-III  costing ₹10,947 crore and MUTP-IIIA costing ₹33,690 crore have been sanctioned. These projects include following works in Mumbai Suburban Area:

|   SN | Name of Project                                                     | Cost (in Cr.)   |
|------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|
|    1 | CSMT-Kurla 5 th & 6 th Line (MUTP-II) (17.5 km)                     | 891             |
|    2 | Mumbai Central-Borivali 6 th Line (MUTP-II) (30 km)                 | 919             |
|    3 | Extension of Harbour Line from Goregaon-Borivali (MUTP-IIIA) (7 km) | 826             |
|    4 | Borivali-Virar 5 th & 6 th Line (MUTP-IIIA) (26 km)                 | 2,184           |
|    5 | Virar-Dahanu Road 3 rd & 4 th Line (MUTP-III) (64 km)               | 3,587           |
|    6 | Panvel-Karjat Suburban Corridor (MUTP-III) (29.6 km)                | 2,782           |
|    7 | Airoli-Kalwa (elevated) Suburban Corridor link (MUTP-III) (3.3 km)  | 476             |
|    8 | Kalyan-Asangaon 4 th Line (MUTP-IIIA) (32 km)                       | 1,759           |
|    9 | Kalyan-Badlapur 3 rd & 4 th line (MUTP-IIIA) (14 km)                | 1,510           |
|   10 | Kalyan-Kasara 3 rd Line (67 km)                                     | 793             |
|   11 | Naigaon-Juichandra double chord Line (6 km)                         | 176             |
|   12 | Nilaje-Kopar double chord Line (5 km)                               | 338             |
|   13 | Kalyan Yard remodeling work                                         | 866             |

## New generation trains:

To enhance passenger carrying capacity, 238 rakes of 12 cars  each with doors have been sanctioned under MUTP-III & IIIA at a cost of ₹19,293 crore.

The process for procurement of these rakes has been taken up.

Capacity Augmentation works for Pune Area:

Presently, about 33 originating Mail/Express trains are handled daily in Pune area.

To  increase  train  handling  capacity  at  various  stations  in  Pune  area, following works have been completed/taken up/planned at various stations:

|   SN | Location      | Details                                                                                |
|------|---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | Pune Junction | 6 additional Platforms and Extension of 5 Platforms.                                   |
|    2 | Hadapsar      | Extension of 3 Platforms to handle full length trains.                                 |
|    3 | Khadki        | Raising and Extension of PF-3/4 and extension of running lines completed in July'2025. |
|    4 | Alandi        | New Coaching Terminal with 9 additional Platforms, 8 pit lines and 8 stabling lines    |
|    5 | Phursungi     | 5 Stabling Lines at Phursungi                                                          |

In  addition  to  above,  following  capacity  additional  works  have  been undertaken in Pune Area to increase the train handling capacity:

|   SN | Name of Project                                                                               |
|------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 3 rd Line between Hadapsar and Ghorpuri Yard                                                  |
|    2 | New Block station at Manjari Bhadrukin Pune-Daund Section and Ramtekdi in Pune-Sasvad section |
|    3 | Bidirectional Signalling in Pune Sasvad Road Section                                          |

## Bullet Train project:

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project (508 km) is the only HSR Project under execution. The Project is passing through the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 stations  planned  at  Mumbai,  Thane,  Virar,  Boisar,  Vapi,  Billimora,  Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.

Entire land (1389.5 Ha.) for MAHSR project has been acquired. All Statutory Clearances have been obtained.  All 1651 utilities have been shifted. The

delay  in  land  acquisition  in  the  State  of  Maharashtra  has  impacted  the project till 2021. The land acquisition picked up in 2022 in Maharashtra. The progress of various major items so far is as under:

## Gujarat (352 KM):

| Item                   | Progress   |
|------------------------|------------|
| Foundation             | 352 kms.   |
| Piers                  | 352 kms.   |
| Girder Casting         | 342 kms.   |
| Girder Launching       | 331 kms.   |
| Track Bed Construction | 152 kms.   |
| OHE Masts Erection     | 121 kms.   |

## Maharashtra (156 KM):

| Item             | Progress   |
|------------------|------------|
| Foundation       | 77 kms.    |
| Piers            | 67 kms.    |
| Girder Casting   | 9 kms.     |
| Girder Launching | 3 kms.     |

Out of total 12 stations, foundation works has been completed at 8 stations (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Anand, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati).  In  Maharashtra  section,  foundation  work  is  in  progress  at  3 stations (Thane, Virar, Boisar) and excavation work at BKC station is near completion and Casting of base slab started.

17 river bridges have been completed. Work is in advance stage for 4 major river bridges (Narmada, Mahi, Tapti and Sabarmati) in Gujarat & in progress in  4  river  bridges  in  Maharashtra.  Work  on  Depots  (Thane,  Surat  and Sabarmati) is in full swing.

Civil works at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) are progressing satisfactorily. Excavation works have achieved about 91% progress, and concreting works are at various stages, with 100% completion of the basement slab at Level4. The work of the under-sea tunnel (approximately 21 km) has commenced, out of which  4.8 km  of  tunnel  between  Ghansoli  and  Shilphata in Maharashtra has been completed.

To ensure seamless passenger connectivity, the Government has planned multi-modal  integration  of  Bullet  Train  stations  with  the  existing  Mumbai suburban  railway  network  and  upcoming  metro  lines.  The  integration includes  passenger  connectivity  with  Metro  Line-2B  and  Metro  Line-3 through convenient pedestrian access at BKC station.

Bullet train project is a very complex and technology intensive Project. Exact timelines for the completion of the project can be reasonably ascertained after  the  completion  of  all  associated  works  of  Civil  Structures,  Track, Electrical, Signaling & Telecommunication and supply of Trainsets.

## Dedicated freight corridor:

Western  DFC  also  passes  through  Maharashtra.  About  178  route  Km  of western DFC is situated in Maharashtra which is about 12% of overall route length  of  western  DFC.  76  Km  of  this  project  from  New  Gholvad  to  New Vaitarna  in  Maharashtra  has  already  been  commissioned.  Balance  works have been taken up. Connectivity of WDFC to JNPT will boost the capacity to handle cargo and container traffic from port to Delhi NCR.

Sanction  of  any  railway  project  depends  upon  many  parameters/factors which include the following:

-  Anticipated traffic projections and Remunerativeness of the proposed route
-  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
-  Connection of missing links and providing additional route

-  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
-  Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives,
-  Railway's own operational requirements
-  Socio-economic considerations
-  Overall availability of funds

Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include the following:

-  Land acquisition by State Government
-  Forest clearance
-  Shifting of infringing utilities
-  Statutory clearances from various authorities
-  Geological and topographical conditions of area
-  Law and order situation in the area of project site
-  Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.

All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s. Various steps taken by the Government for effective and speedy implementation of rail projects include:

-  Substantial increase in allocation of funds.
-  Delegation of powers at field level.
-  Close monitoring of progress of project at various levels.
-  Regular follow up with State Governments and concerned authorities for expeditious land acquisition, forestry and Wildlife clearances and for resolving other issues pertaining to projects.

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