Pune: Better rail connectivity between Pune and Mumbai appears to be the only way to skirt the frequent traffic jams on the expressway, but the Indian Railways is yet to approve the third and fourth lines on the Pune-Lonavla stretch more than four months after the state govt’s in-principle nod to it.“The Pune-Lonavala quadrupling project received in-principle approval from the state govt with cost sharing agreed on a 50:50 basis vide a govt resolution in September last year. The proposal is presently under active consideration with the ministry of railways for further examination and necessary approvals,” Sunil Udasi, the chief public relations officer with the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC), a subsidiary of the ministry handling the project, told TOI.
Swapnil Nila, the CPRO of the Central Railway, said the project was in its preliminary stage. The estimated project cost is Rs5,100 crore. Out of the Rs2,550-crore projected contribution of the state, it was said in September last year that Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations would bear 20% each, and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority would contribute 30% of it. The state govt would chip in with the rest.Last week, an accident involving a gas tanker created a gridlock of over 30 hours on the Pune-Mumbai expressway. The slow-moving traffic became a major hassle for travellers last weekend also.Anand Saptarshi, a member of the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC), told TOI, “The Mumbai–Pune high-speed rail corridor was announced in the Budget, but it will take a long time. Considering the traffic on the expressway, focus should shift to a strong rail network between the two cities. We will raise this issue in the ZRUCC meeting next month.”Nikhil Kachi, a former member of the divisional railway users’ consultative committee, agreed. “The idea of announcing projects after projects without looking into the completion aspect of formerly announced plans needs to stop,” he said.Balewadi resident Prashant Dhobale, an IT professional, said, “When the Navi Mumbai International Airport became operational, I thought I would use it more than the Pune facility. But looking at the traffic, I am scared now. A proper rail network needs to connect both the cities, including the airport.”
