Railways approves Rs 497 crore doubling project on Panvel-Karjat line

Indian Railways has given official approval to a 10.86 km doubling project on the Chowk-Karjat section of Central Railway, considered a key stretch. The ambitious project has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 497 crore, which will speed up connectivity in the area.

The Panvel-Chowk-Karjat rail route is considered extremely busy and strategically important for both passenger and freight traffic. However, the Chowk-Karjat stretch has so far been a single line, which has placed a major limit on the frequency of trains and freight capacity. This has often forced trains to make unnecessary halts at stations, wasting passengers' time. As part of a larger plan taken up by the railway administration to increase capacity across the network, the doubling has now been decided upon to fix this problem.

Once the doubling project is complete, there will be major relief from congestion on this route, directly benefiting passengers. The project will make it possible to run at least five additional passenger trains daily in each direction, making journeys easier for passengers.

The project will not only benefit passengers but will also create capacity to handle about 18.35 million tonnes of additional freight every year. With fewer unnecessary halts and delays for freight trains, the entire railway timetable will become faster and more disciplined.

Indian Railways is working on various projects across the country to strengthen its network, including doubling, tripling, quadrupling, flyovers and bypass routes. The approval of the Chowk-Karjat project is an important part of this strategy. The railway administration believes that once this project is completed, the journey from Panvel to Karjat will become safer, uninterrupted and faster than before.