Uran Railway Line in Navi Mumbai Approved for Mid-March Launch

The Commissioner of Railway Safety gave his approval for passenger trains to run on the Uran railway line in Navi Mumbai in mid-March.

This route has five new stations: Gavhanpada, Ranjanpada, Nhava-Sheva, Dronagiri and Uran. Politicians have yet to formally inaugurate it, which has delayed the usage of the new stations and lines that had been promised.

A significant project, the Belapur-Seawood-Uran Railway Project, aims to improve access to Navi Mumbai’s centre area from outlying districts where development is anticipated. The public and travellers will profit immensely from the addition of this additional line. Additionally, the line will meet the demands for passenger traffic brought on by the Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone (NMSEZ), the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, nearby port-based industries, ONGC, the Defence establishment at Uran, and various residential, industrial, and warehousing complexes in the subregion.

Significant delays have occurred with this project. With a time overrun of 216 months, or 18 years, the Central government’s infrastructure and project monitoring division of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation dubbed it one of Maharashtra’s most delayed railway projects. With an initial estimated cost of ₹ 495.44 crore, the project was initially approved in March 1996 and was slated for completion in March 2004.

The cost of the project is split between the Maharashtra government’s City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the Railways. Railways pay one-third of the bill, and CIDCO pays the other two-thirds, keeping the ratio at 67:33. On November 11, 2018, the 12.4-km double line up to Kharkopar, the first phase of the 27-kilometer Belapur/Nerul Uran route, was finished and put into service. It currently has 40 services available. Five stations, totaling 14.60 kilometres from Kharkopar to Uran, are anticipated to open soon. About ₹ 2,900 crore is the project’s overall cost.

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