MRVC launches work on Panvel-Karjat rail line tunnels

The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has commenced construction work on the Wawarle tunnel, which will be the longest tunnel on the Panvel-Karjat suburban railway line in Mumbai. The tunnel will form part of three tunnels including Nadhal and Kirwali. The Persic tunnel between Thane and Diva is currently the longest tunnel in Mumbai at 1.3 km. The Wawarle tunnel will be approximately double the length of the Persic tunnel at 2.6 km, making it the longest tunnel in the suburban rail network of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The completion of the tunnel is critical to the completion timeline of the Panvel-Karjat railway project, which is part of MRVC's Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3 (MUTP-3).

The project was sanctioned in 2018 and will include five stations: Mohope, Chowk, Karjat, Chikhale, and Panvel. The project is expected to be completed by December 2025 and will involve constructing a parallel line to the current single-line section to create a suburban corridor. This will enable the running of suburban services and provide an alternate route from Mumbai's main island city to Karjat via Panvel, resulting in shorter commute times between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Karjat.