Maharashtra Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation soon

Maharashtra Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation soon

CM Devendra Fadnavis chairs rail meet, decides to fast-track state railways. State Rail Infrastructure to get boost with new body in three months

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government and the ministry of railways will be setting up Maharashtra Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) within three months to provide a boost to railway infrastructure projects in the state. The decision was taken in a review meeting held by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday.

The CM held discussions with the General Managers of both the railways (Central and Western) and Mumbai Railway planning body Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) on Wednesday and formally announced the formation of MRIDC within the next three months.

Central Railway GM Sunil Kumar Sood has said that the state was briefed about the air-conditioned locals that are supposed to come on the Harbour and the mainline soon. “We were asked about how we were supposed to go about getting AC coaches for the CR. We said that the last and the first three coaches on the Harbour line would be air-conditioned, while the middle compartments will be replaced with AC ones on the mainline,” said Mr Sood.

Among the projects discussed was the Rs 2826 crore Ahmedanagar-Beed-Parli new corridor which the government wants to complete by March 2019. As reported earlier, the railways has already set out tenders of almost Rs 300 crores for the project which the state government is banking on in a big way to clear its electoral prospects in drought-hit Marathwada. The state government also assured the railways that the land acquisition for the Wardha-Yavatmal-Nanded line will be completed by July 2016. The line will be a connector between Vidarbha- from where chief minister Fadnavis hails- and Marathwada.

The feasibility of a major source of future revenue in the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) that will pass through Panvel was also asked. “We were asked about the progress of the DFC as well as the 5th and 6th line between Kurla and CST and we did tell them about the issues of land procurement on this line,” he added. n Turn to Page 7

While the Western Railway (WR) were asked about the delayed arrival of their very own AC train, WR GM G.C. Agarwal said, “We have told them that the coach is being readied in Chennai and expected in November but we have also informed that there is no definitive timeline for the arrival. Eventually the train will be put for public use after two-three months of the trains arrival since we will also do the needed trials.”

Mr Agarwal also mentioned that important land procurement issues for the sixth line of WR was discussed and the state has duly noted the problem and said that they will look into the issue.

MRVC chief managing director Prabhat Sahai who was also present at the meeting said that it was review meeting and a formal announcement of the company, “It was a way for the state to be updated before the launch of the company in three months,” said Mr Sahai.

The meeting also stressed on the fact that the Virara-Vasai-Diva-Panvel suburban corridor, expected to cost upwards of Rs 10000 crores at current prices, should be speeded up and should be included in the next railway budget for the financial year 2016-17.

A long-pending plan, to connect Bandra Terminus and the Western Express Highway, was also discussed. This has been a long-time demand of Western Railway and a couple of years ago the construction department of WR and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) had discussed three options.

The high-power meet also dicussed ways to bring about uniformity in various infrastructure plans so that the construction of the Navi Mumbai airport as well as the elevated CST-panvel corridor could be done in tandem.​