Rail corridor planned along Nagpur-Mumbai Super Express Way: Piyush Goyal
17 Jul 2018
The Railways is in the process of executing a proposal to construct a railway line connecting the Nagpur–Mumbai Super Express Way (Samriddhi Mahamarg), the first in the larger plan to set up railway lines across national highways, railway minister Piyush Goyal has said.
Speaking at a function during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for linking railway line to Metro coaches on broad gauge network for creating a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) in Nagpur city, Goyal said the construction of such a hi-speed railway corridor will make it feasible to cover distance between Nagpur and Mumbai in just 5 hours.
He said the Railways has also allocated a record Rs67,000 crore for development of suburban railway network in Mumbai, which is used by one third of total railway passengers in India.
Indian Railways also on Monday signed an MoU with Mahametro (Metro Railway Project Company of Maharashtra) on Monday for linking railway line to Metro coaches on broad gauge network and creating a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) in Nagpur city.
The foundation stone laying ceremony of Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s ‘waste to energy project’ was also performed on this occasion. The foundation stone was also laid for a pipe conveyor system of Mahagenco to carry coal from a cluster of mines of Western Coalfield Limited.
Union minister of road transport, highways and water resources, Nitin Gadkari, while speaking on rising pollution in metro cities, advocated electric mobility for public transport. He urged people to use public transport instead of private transport.
He said the air conditioned metro coaches running on broad gauge line of Railway will move at 100 km/hr, which is much more than the speed ordinary passenger trains. The MoU, he said, will pave the way for towns like Bhandara in Maharashtra's Wardha coming closer and being developed into satellite cities.
Chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, said while these three projects will be hailed as innovative steps worth emulating, Nagpur is undertaking various other innovative projects. He said water acquired from mines and power plants is being used to irrigate over 10,000 hectares of land in Maharashtra. An MoU between VIDC (Vidarbha Irrigation Industrial Corporation) and WCL has been signed for mine water distribution, he said.
On the occasion a booklet titled New Railways,New Maharashtra on Railway's development in Maharashtra was also unveiled in this function.
The programme was attended by local public representatives, officials of Maha Metro, NMC, Mahagenco, Indian Railways, officials of district administration and the general public.