Railways approves doubling of Chouk-Karjat section in Maharashtra at Rs 497 crore

Mumbai: Indian Railways has approved the doubling of the 10.86-km Chouk-Karjat railway section of Central Railway in Maharashtra at an estimated cost of Rs 497 crore, a move aimed at increasing passenger and freight-handling capacity on the Panvel-Chouk-Karjat route.

The project has been sanctioned under umbrella works covering doubling, tripling, quadrupling, flyovers and bypasses to augment capacity across the railway network.

The Chouk-Karjat section is part of the Panvel-Chouk-Karjat corridor, an important route for both passenger and freight traffic. Doubling the existing single-line stretch is expected to improve train operations and ease congestion.

Once completed, the project is expected to enable five additional passenger trains in each direction every day.

The doubling is also expected to facilitate an additional 18.35 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight traffic and reduce the detention of freight trains.

Railways said the project is part of its continuing efforts to strengthen infrastructure and improve the capacity and efficiency of passenger and freight movement in Maharashtra.