Mumbai: In order to improve rail connectivity between Pune and Nashik, doubling work of 248 km long Daund – Manmad line has been sanctioned. Out of the total 248 km, work has already been commissioned for 178 Km, while work for the balance section has been taken up.

Further, surveys have been sanctioned for three railway projects for a new Double Line between Nashik – Sainagar Shirdi (82 Km), new Double Line between Pune - Ahmednagar (125 Km.), and doubling of Sainagar Shirdi-Puntamba (17 km). DPR will be made on completion of these surveys.

This was informed by Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw in reply to an unstarred question at the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Union Minister Vaishnaw further informed that DPR was prepared by Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (MRIDC), a Joint Venture company of Government of Maharashtra (50%) and Ministry of Railways (50%), for direct connection between Pune and Nashik.

The proposed alignment in the DPR was passing through Narayangaon where National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune has installed Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) Observatory. GMRT has users from thirty-one number of countries (till 28th Cycle) that uses its services for scientific observations. This alignment was not found acceptable due to adverse impact of proposed railway line on operation of the GMRT Observatory.

It may be noted that Pune and Nashik is already connected on rail network via Pune - Kalyan - Nashik (265 Km) and via Pune - Daund - Ahmednagar -Manmad - Nashik (387 km).

Sanctioning of Railway projects is a continuous and dynamic process of Indian Railway. Railway infrastructure projects are taken up on the basis of remunerativeness, traffic projections, last mile connectivity, missing links and alternate routes, augmentation of congested/saturated lines socio-economic considerations etc. depending upon liabilities of ongoing projects, overall availability of funds and competing demands.