The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has hastened the construction work on the Panvel-Karjat suburban corridor, which is likely to be completed by March 2025 at an investment of ₹2,782 crore. The project will save 30 minutes of travel time between CSMT and Karjat as after its completion commuters will reach Panvel from CST in just one hour forty-five minutes, which is 30 minutes less than the current time. The doubling of the suburban railway corridor between Panvel and Karjat is a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3. Due to hurdles in acquiring land, the project has been stuck since getting a green signal in 2016. Currently, the Panvel-Karjat section has a single line which is being used for the operation of a few long-distance passenger and goods trains. To convert the section into a suburban corridor, one additional track will be added with new station buildings at Mohope, Chowk, Karjat, Chikhale, and Panvel stations. A total of 56.4 hectares of private land in the 24 villages of Panvel, Khalapur, and Karjat Talukas was required for the project of which 42.55 hectares of private land were already acquired. Similarly, a total of 4.4 hectares of government land was required for the project, of which 4.4 hectares have been acquired. Additionally, the purchase process for the 9.18 hectares of forest land (4.96 hectares of government and 4.22 hectares of private forest) needed for the project and the land acquisition process is currently underway. Work has begun on the entire route because CCF Thane has already granted permission to work in forest areas. The officials from Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) claimed that the construction of a flyover and several bridges between Panvel and Karjat suburban corridors is currently in full swing.
