Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the Railway Ministry has given “in-principle approval” for the Pune-Nashik high-speed rail project. Fadnavis made the announcement after meeting Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav here. Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister said, “I thank the Railway Minister for giving in-principle approval to the Pune-Nashik high-speed railway project.”
He said officials from Maharashtra and the Railway Ministry would conduct a technical appraisal of the project and then take the proposal to the Union Cabinet for approval. Vaishnav said, “Pune and Nashik are economically and culturally important cities of Maharashtra. It will be our endeavor to provide rail connectivity to both these cities.”
Thank you Honorable Railway Minister @Ashwini Vaishnav To give in-principle approval to the Pune-Nashik high-speed rail project, G. It will boost the growth of both the cities and provide seamless connectivity to the industrial areas of Pune and Nashik. pic.twitter.com/hb4rDkZxlQ– Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) February 5, 2023
“We had a detailed discussion on the technical aspects of the project and will now take it forward,” the Railway Minister said. Fadnavis said the high-speed rail between Pune and Nashik would spur development and provide seamless connectivity to the industrial areas of both the cities.
Recently, the Finance Minister, during the presentation of his Budget 2023, allocated a record budget for the Indian Railways. Maharashtra got the maximum share under that. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said the record allocation of Rs 13,539 crore for the railways in Maharashtra will have a “very good impact”.
Vaishnav said the allocation in the 2023-24 budget for Maharashtra was 11 times the average allocation between 2009 and 2014. Chief Minister, the bullet train project did not get any approval from the state government.
“The deadline for (completion) of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is August 2026,” he said. He said that the production of Vande Bharat Express trains has increased and one train is being prepared in 7 to 9 days. “We will modernize and redevelop 123 stations in Maharashtra. Tenders will be opened for CSMT (in Mumbai) by the end of March. Preliminary pre-work has already started,” Vaishnav said.
with inputs from agencies