Panvel-Karjat rail line 99 percent complete, awaits CRS safety approval
The new suburban line between Panvel and Karjat is nearly ready, but regular services will start only after Commissioner of Railway Safety clearance.
Commuters in Navi Mumbai and Karjat have good news coming their way. The new suburban railway line being built between Panvel and Karjat has reached the final stage of completion. About 99 percent of the project's work is done, and the remaining technical work and testing are progressing rapidly. Once the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) grants safety clearance, the way will be clear to start regular local train services on this route.
The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is building a double railway line between Panvel and Karjat under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-3 (MUTP-3). The project, costing around Rs 2,782 crore, will give Panvel and Karjat an alternate suburban route. Currently there is no direct suburban train connectivity between the two places, forcing commuters to take longer routes. It is expected that travel will become easier and faster once the new line begins operating.
The Panvel-Karjat route will have five stations in total: Panvel, Chikhale, Poyanje, Chowk and Karjat. The station earlier called Mohape has been renamed Poyanje.
The line has three tunnels with a combined length of about 3.164 kilometres. Of these, the 2.625 kilometre Waverly tunnel will be counted among the largest and longest tunnels on Mumbai's suburban railway network. Modern engineering technology has been used to take the line through the hilly terrain.
Tunnel excavation and final-level work on the project have been completed. The project also includes large and small bridges, five flyovers and 16 underpasses, some of which are in the final stage of construction. Work to connect the railway track in the underpass below the Pune Expressway has also been completed.
The new Panvel station is already operational, while building work at the Chikhale and Poyanje stations has been completed. Work on platforms, circulating areas, covered platforms, lifts, escalators and other passenger facilities at Chowk and Karjat stations is in its final stage.
Work related to the signalling system on the Panvel-Karjat line has also picked up pace. Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) for electronic interlocking at Poyanje and Chowk have been successfully completed. Work on telecom and other railway systems is still under way.
Once the remaining technical tests are completed, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct a safety inspection of the route. Regular suburban train service can begin only after CRS approval.
MRVC has set a target of completing the project by December 2026. Once the project is 100 percent complete, the line will be handed over to Central Railway, after which a final decision will be taken on starting local services. According to Central Railway officials, local services between Panvel and Karjat are likely to begin by around January 2028.
Once the new line is operational, commuters in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, Chowk, Karjat and surrounding areas will benefit significantly, which is why passengers are eagerly awaiting the start of local services on this route.
