MRIDC steers ₹16,039-cr Pune-Nashik high speed rail project

Maharashtra Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) has sought approval from the Railway board and the Govt. of Maharashtra for Pune-Nashik semi-high-speed train service, which aims to reduce the travel time between the two towns and will be commissioned by 2024 at an investment of ₹16,039 crore. Currently, the travel time between two cities is around five hours. Recently, the Central Railway gave its approval for the revised detailed project report (DPR) prepared by MRIDC. The agency will now seek approval from the Railway Board and Maharashtra government to begin work on the 231 km double line and MRIDC will execute the project. The proposed train running speed will be 200 kmph with 24 stations — eight primary and sixteen small ones — crossing through the three districts of Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik.