Virar-Dahanu line extension project clears crucial hurdle

With the completion of a crucial step in the land acquisition process earlier this month the Railways has set in motion the muchneeded process to expand and strengthen the railway network beyond Virar Work on the project which has been undertaken by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation MRVC will start as soon as the allocated money beginsto flowOn May 1 2018 in 20 villages hold the key to Western Railways WR future midday had reported about the villages between Virar and Dahanu that held the key to the decongestion of WR in Mumbai A key process in that endeavour now seems to be completeA MRVC spokesperson said We have finally completed the joint measurement survey This is a very important step in the implementation of any development project as it determines the actual requirement of the land and is the last process required for land acquisitionAlso ReadPlanning commission plans 2 more lines between Virar Dahanu to decongest Mumbai rail trafficDecongestion and expansionThe land about 139500 sq m will be used to lay two new rail lines and eight new suburban stations and work will begin as soon as the allocated money starts flowing Presently there are nine stations between Virar and Dahanu Road at a distance of 6380 km The new suburban stations and railway lines will play a key role in decongesting the VirarPalgharDahanu section and expanding the Mumbai Metropolitan RegionThe proposed stations include Wadhiv and Sartodi between the existing stations of Vaitarna and Saphale Makunsar between Saphale and Kelve Road Chintupada between Kelve Road and Palghar Kharale Road between Palghar and Umroli Panchali between Umroli and Boisar Wanjarwada between Boisar and Vanagon and BSES Colony between Vangaon and Dahanu RoadThe project also involves laying new tracks by 2023 to improve the current frequency of Dahanu trains from one train every four hours right now to one every 12 minutes by 2023 one every six minutes by 2031 and one per four minutes by 2041Also ReadMumbai Fake rumours about terrorists entering Dahanu village keeps police on toesWeak link no moreCurrently WR has a very weak link to Mumbai as it is connected by only two railway tracks If there is an accident or disruption along these tracks there is no alternative and the national link to Mumbai along WR is shut till the traffic is restored Thus the alternative corridor with two more lines could function as a back up to the existing lines and help WR segregate longdistance trains from suburban rail traffic Moreover most studies are also showing an impressive growth rate beyond Virar as Mumbai expands further This will create more paths for trains leading to more train servicesMUTP4 to be approved this weekMRVC has lined up the Mumbai Urban Transport Project 4 a fresh project to improve the citys infrastructure The project is likely to be approved by Chief Ministers office this week The R38000 crore project includes the construction of a third and fourth line between Panvel and Vasai at a cost of R6000 crore getting AC local on Central Railway at a cost of R8000 crore building an underground train network from CSMT to Thane at a cost of R18000 crore and the creation of an elevated corridor between CSMT and Panvel at a cost of 14000 croreLand of industrial developmentThe section between Virar and Dahanu Road is under significant industrial development The important features of major developments areVaitarna The region is expected to attract new employment and habitation with the Middle Vaitarna Water Supply Project that involves building a dam on the Vaitarna River at Kochale village which will store water for supply and generate electricityKelva Road This station is located 5 km from Kelva beach and connects tourists to Kelva Fort Shitla devi temple and the Shirgaon fort A majority of Kelva residents are involved in the fishing industry due to the areas proximity of Satpati one of the biggest fishing villages on Indias western coast Tourism is growing herePalghar Industrialisation is attracting more people to the town which had a population of 53000 in 2011Boisar The town currently has more than 1500 industrial units with companies like Tata Steel JSW Steel BARC Tarapur power station etc providing employment opportunities Tarapur industrial estate a premium industrial area is also located nearbyDahanu Road The final station within the state boundary has factories producing rubber balloons rice mills and other goods Dahanu also houses a 500MW thermal power plant that supplies electricity to MumbaiCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates