Centre clears ₹16,039-cr Nashik-Pune HSR project

The central government has approved the Nashik-Pune High-Speed Railway project involving an investment of ₹16,039 crore. State Guardian Minister Chhagan Bhujbal informed that the project will give a boost to the development of Nashik-Pune-Ahmednagar and also the surrounding districts in Maharashtra. All the approvals have been put in place and construction work on the project is all set to start shortly. The state minister further said that the Nashik-Pune high-speed railway line will be the first in the country to be built involving such an investment. Once completed, the journey will be completed in just two hours due to the Greenfield Semi High-Speed Double Line. The project will be funded both by the central and state governments and will be executed by the Maharashtra Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC), which will be the first corporation to design a railway line to run a semi-high-speed train on a broad gauge route. The project is destined to be completed in three-and-a-half-years and the train will run at a speed of 200 kmph. The project will not just help in the development of the three districts but also facilitate the transportation of agricultural produce from the surrounding areas of the state.