Mumbai: The Railways ministry on Tuesday sanctioned the 3rd and 4th railway lines (quadrupling project) between Badlapur and Karjat under Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3B (MUTP-3B), following recent approval of the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs.The project already received prior consent of the govt of Maharashtra as part of the larger MUTP-3B proposal submitted by Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) Ltd, which included quadrupling of the Badlapur–Karjat suburban section.The sanctioned project spans 32.46 km alongside the existing railway alignment and covers 6 key suburban stations: Badlapur, Vangani, Shelu, Neral, Bhivpuri Road and Karjat. About 37.79 hectares of private land was required for execution, apart from govt and railway land.The completion cost was assessed at Rs 1,324 crore, with funding to be shared equally between the Maharashtra govt and the Railways ministry. The execution and delivery of infrastructure works were assigned to MRVC. “The project was designed to enhance capacity on the Mumbai–Chennai high-density route, one of the busiest rail corridors supporting passenger mobility and rising freight movement linked to upcoming ports, logistics terminals and expanding suburban nodes in the MMR,” said an MRVC official.Based on data inputs from rail capacity studies, mobility trends, and satellite-based mapping, the quadrupling project was expected to support better separation of suburban and mainline train paths, reduced congestion pressure at stations, improved scheduling flexibility for long-distance trains, and strengthened passenger safety through boundary protection works and station mobility enhancements.On the development, MRVC CMD Vilas S Wadekar said: “The Badlapur–Karjat quadrupling will result in complete segregation of mainline and suburban traffic in the Kalyan–Karjat section. The additional lines will support smoother movement of suburban commuters and mainline passengers, while enabling efficient freight operations on this high-density corridor. The project will further strengthen safety and reliability of train operations in MMR.” The project is expected to be completed within 3 to 4 years after land acquisition.
