Completion: 107.76-km route by 2023-24
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved construction of a Rs.3,438.51 crore new line between Vaibhavwadi-Kolhapur (now Shri Chhatrapati Shahumaharaj Terminus).
The 107.76-km project will be completed by 2023-24. It will be executed by Construction Organization of Central Railway, said the Cabinet on 5 August 2019.
The proposed alignment from Vaibhavwadi to Kolhapur passes through the districts of Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg of Maharashtrastate.
The proposed alignment would link Kolhapur railway station on the existing Pune-Kolhapur section of Central Railway with Vaibhavwadi Railway Station on the existing Roha-Madgaon section of Konkan Railway.
The proposed link would reduce the distances for thermal coal transportation for a number of power plants in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The addition of Vaibhavwadi-KoIhapur will create a shorter evacuation route to western ports as there is a lack of Rail connectivity between Central arid Konkan regions leads to longer supply routes for power plants in the Northern Karnataka and Southern Maharashtra region which affects supply coming from ports like Mumbai, JNPT, Krishnapatnam and New Mangalore due to longer rail route of Ratnagiri-Panvel-Pune route.
The project will also generate employment direct during construction for about 25.86 lakh mandays.
Kolhapur cluster, which mainly denotes western Maharashtra state, has an industrial belt which consists of manufacturing-based industries, auto parts and ancillary, sugar manufacturing, textiles, edible oil processing factories etc.
With the increased industrial development in and nearby area of west coast, imports are going to increase in future.
Also, with the proposal of world class infrastructure coming up at Jaigad and Vijaydurg on the west coast, the district would be benefitting immensely.
Thus, with the advent of the Vaibhavwadi-Kolhapur line and the upcoming Vijaydurg port, Gulbarga, Adilabad and the nearby industrial clusters will be able to exploit the closeness, to west coast.
There will also be reduction in distance and time taken for freight trains running on the existing Vaibhavwadi-Roha-Pune route and Miraj-Pune-Panvel-Pen route if the same is routed via the Vaibhavwadi-Kolhapur project line. fiinews.com
