New 309-km railway line to connect Mumbai and Indore

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Monday approved the construction of a new 309 km-long railway line that will provide the shortest rail connectivity between Mumbai and Indore, two major commercial hubs in the neighboring states. 

Besides reducing the distance between Mumbai and Indore, the project will also connect the unconnected areas of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh covering 2 districts of Maharashtra and 4 districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The project, which is aligned with PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity, will provide seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services.

The new railway line will also promote tourism in the region by providing shorter route from western and south-western parts of the country to various tourist/ religious places of Ujjain and Indore, including Sri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.

Project will provide direct connectivity to Pithampur Auto Cluster from various ports in Maharashtra, including Jawaharlal Nehru Port. 

This route is also essential for transportation of agriculture products, fertilizer, containers, iron ore, steel, cement, POL etc, generating freight traffic of about 26 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). 

It will provide direct connectivity to millet producing districts of Madhya Pradesh and onion producing districts of Maharashtra.

Rail connectivity, besides being cheaper compared to road transport, will be less polluting and energy efficient.

The project is estimated to cost Rs18,036 crore and will be completed by 2028-29, as per a CCEA release.

Construction of the new rail route will generate direct employment of about 10.2 million mandays. When completed the new rail line will boost overall employment potential in the area around the rail route.