Windfall for some (railway projects), peanuts for one

There will be 47 new 12car rakes for the suburban network but no provision has been made for them in this BudgetWill the BandraVirar elevated rail remain only on paper Thatrsquos the fear after it got R10000 in the Pink Book released by the Finance Ministry yesterday But for the first time the CSTPanvel and VirarVasaiPanvel corridors have got the required fundsBandraVirar lineThe state and Indian Railways signed an MoU in December 2016 for this project Sources however said that with the DahisarCharkopBandraMankhurd and ColabaBandraSeepz Metros coming up the BandraVirar rail line is unlikely to get preferenceAnd thatrsquos why the R19500 crore elevated rail corridor has barely got a token amount of R10000 The cost sanctioned for the project stands at R1526 crore it means the railways in Mumbai will have to put that money to use before demanding more fundsCSTPanvel corridorThe R14500 crore Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMTPanvel elevated corridor which is the fast line on Harbour line got R10 lakh for this year the ministry has sanctioned the entire cost for this new lineIt has also taken into consideration the Navi Mumbai airport which the corridor will connect to The alignment and stations are decided hence chances of it starting earlier said a senior railway official The state and Indian Railways will fund this project 5050 for faster clearances with respect to land procurement fund disbursement and completionVirarVasai RoadPanvel projectThis new suburban rail corridor on the anvil shall be built at a cost of R11000 crore It will join the Western Main and Harbour lines This 63km long route will create a parallel township that would also allow the government to set up commercial centres at the far end of extended Mumbai Even this project received R10 lakh with a total of R8787 crore sanctioned for itClearance for MUTPIIIThe Union Cabinet has already cleared the Mumbai Urban Transport Project MUTPIII The R11440 crore projects in MUTPIII involve expansion of the suburban corridor The arms of local trains shall expand to newer suburban corridors between Panvel and Karjat 28 km Airoli and Kalwa 3 km and quadrupling of VirarDahanu 63 km MUTPIII got R823 crore in this Budget while R274 crore was sanctioned for MUTPIIWe will first start with the AiroliKalwa rail line for which tenders shall be called very soon said Prabhat Sahai chairman and managing director Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation This will be a completely new line that will connect TransHarbour with Main line of Central Railway A new station at Dighe will also come up Moreover therersquos the PanvelKarjat line that will complement the new suburban corridor connecting VirarAC trains to chug inMUTPIII will also bring in new rakes The railways here is proposing AC ones under this project Sources said the rail ministry has accepted inprincipally that the trains would have closed doors and vestibules similar to coaches found in Metro rail thus indicating to the fact that they would be AC local trainsRs 10 lakhAmount sanctioned for CSTPanvel and VirarVasaiPanvel corridors eachRs 10000Amount given for the BandraVirar elevated line