Maharashtra Government is working with Central Railway on a new alignment for Pune, one that would shorten the distance from Nagpur so as to slash travel time by one hour. Stating this to newspersons on Sunday at Nagpur Railway Station, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the new line is being considered from Ahilyanagar, and the same would bypass Daund and the Chord line. Present for a function to flag off the Pune Vande Bharat train, Fadnavis was of the view that the survey for the project is on and land acquisition and other related details are being worked out. Currently the travel time to Pune ex-Nagpur is from 12 hours, currently the fastest due to the introduction of Vande Bharat, to 16 hours and more. So the thinking among the political establishment for cutting down the travel time would be quite welcome, as the same would provide respite to travellers.

 

The Daund and Chord Line travel results in a circuitous route to reach Pune and unnecessary wastage of time. Fadnavis said ongoing expansion route work is complete; the journey to Pune by train will become faster. He said the Government has put forward the proposal to Central Railway since same would slash Pune's distance by nearly 100 kms. State Government is working on linking the three districts, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ahilyanagar and Pune into an industrial corridor. Already a new expressway from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar to Pune is under progress and alongside it the new rail route can be laid to cut the distance to Pune, he suggested.

 

 ‘High-speed train service to Mumbai along Samruddhi e’way on cards’ Asked about the plans for a bullet train adjoining Samruddhi Marg, the Chief Minister said the thinking is that since the state already has 78 per cent right of way, an option is being studied with Indian Railways for a new route from Nagpur to Mumbai. He also acknowledged that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for high-speed trains has already been worked out by Railways. The State Government is studying both aspects before arriving at any conclusion and would work closely with Railways. The idea for a railway along Samruddhi Expressway came as it was thought of as the shortest route for reaching JNPT. This way the movement of goods, along with facilitating fast journeys for passenger trains, was being thought of. "We are in touch with Central Railway senior officials to work out the best option on the matter," he added further. In case the alignment works out, then reaching Mumbai would be possible within six hours.