Karjat gets a dual infrastructure push as yet another rail corridor is in the pipeline. The rapidly developing hub has caught the attention of a high-level panel affiliated with the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti Master Plan, which is now evaluating a new corridor between Karjat and Badlapur. Meanwhile, the Karjat-Panvel project achieved a significant milestone over the weekend with the arrival of its first train.
As part of the push for the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the Badlapur-Karjat 3rd and 4th line expansion project was evaluated on Friday at the 89th meeting of the Network Planning Group (NPG), chaired by the joint secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The progress of other infrastructure projects in the road, railway, and Metro sectors was also reviewed during the meeting. While work on the Kalyan-Badlapur 3rd and 4th line project is already underway, with 21 per cent completed and an expected deadline of December 2026, the new corridor will extend the project from Badlapur to Karjat.
The 32.46 km-long Badlapur-Karjat brownfield project aims to decongest the Mumbai-Pune-Solapur-Wadi-Chennai corridor. “The existing two lines between Kalyan and Karjat carry a mix of mail/express, goods, and suburban trains. Satellite towns like Badlapur, Ambarnath, and Ulhasnagar require better suburban rail connectivity to Kalyan and Mumbai. However, the current services, which terminate at Ambernath, Badlapur, Karjat, and Khopoli, cannot be expanded due to saturation on the Kalyan-Badlapur section,” an official explained.
In another major development for Karjat, the first train entered the new Panvel-Karjat suburban corridor on Saturday. The End Unloading Rake (EUR), a specialised train designed for transporting and unloading long rail panels (10 or 20 panels) at the worksite, was led by a diesel locomotive. The corridor, which connects the old townships of Panvel and Karjat via a new alignment, features the suburban system’s longest tunnels and bridges.
“In a significant milestone for the Panvel-Karjat suburban corridor, the first End Unloading Rake (EUR Rake) entered the section from Mahope station at 5 am today. The train is carrying 260-metre-long, 60 kg rail panels sourced from the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), which will be used to install long-welded rail tracks. This marks a crucial step in enhancing connectivity and capacity on the Panvel-Karjat corridor, benefiting suburban passengers and freight operations alike,” said Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation chief spokesperson Sunil G Udasi.
“Earlier, track linking between the Up line of the Panvel-Karjat Suburban Corridor from Mahope to Chikhale was completed using temporarily sourced rails from Central Railway. Now, with the arrival of the specially designed EUR train, work on laying the new rail track will begin immediately. The train is transporting rails for the 7.8 km stretch between Mahope and Chikhale stations. Once this section is completed, further track linking will take place at Karjat and Chowk stations, with more rail shipments expected soon,” he added.
mid-day had earlier reported how the Panvel-Karjat railway project, developed under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3 (MUTP-3), is set to be a game-changer. The Central Railway has already readied three local trains for operations on the new line. Once completed, the project is expected to accelerate development in Panvel, Karjat, and the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA). The expected deadline for completion is December 2025.
While the existing line mainly caters to freight and a few long-distance passenger trains, the new double-line corridor will allow local trains to run between Mumbai and Karjat via Panvel. The entire stretch includes three tunnels, two rail flyovers, 44 major and minor bridges, 15 road underbridges, and seven road overbridges. The three tunnels (total length: 3164m) include the 219m-long Nadhal Tunnel, the 2625m-long Wavarle Tunnel—the longest in Mumbai’s suburban system—and the 320m-long Kirawali Tunnel. All three tunnels are now complete, and track-laying has begun.
Voices
Nitin Parmar, a former member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee
‘The two new projects will benefit not just Karjat but also small townships like Bhivpuri, Neral, Shelu, Vangani, and Badlapur. With increasing residential populations in these areas, the current limited train services make commuting difficult. These projects will give the entire region a much-needed boost’
Sureshbhau Lad, Former MLA
‘This is great news for all Karjatkars. These new developments will fast-track Karjat’s growth. The two corridors will act as engines of progress. We are grateful to the prime minister and all those involved in making this happen. Now, we eagerly await operations to begin’
Sameer Sohni, Commuter
‘Extending railway lines is a good move, but we need to consider the actual benefits of the Badlapur-Karjat extension, especially since Badlapur-Kalyan is not yet four-lined. The Panvel-Karjat railway project is a strong future investment and highly profitable, but the Badlapur-Karjat line’s development should be reassessed’
