Hopes ride high over Karjat-Virar rail connection

Mumbai: It is expected that it will be announced in the Budget that Karjat, one of the ends of Central line will be connected to Virar, another end of Western line. The Karjat-Panvel-Diva route, worth Rs 2,618 crore, which has been sanctioned under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) III, may now go up to Virar.

Officials said they hope that by the addition of Virar, network of this particular line will get better, as a result of which those travel via either Dadar or Vadala will benefit. An official said, “Virar was a part of the original plan but there were some technical difficulties but now the railway board as well the ministry have asked us to push ahead with this plan.”

Those who have been associated with the railway from the consumer end have come out and said that though it might seem like a small development, it will be a big help in decongesting the over-saturated Churchgate-Virar corridor. Ex-Divisional Railway User Consultative Committee (DRUCC) member Nirmal Jain said, “Any new improvement or widening of the Mumbai network is a welcome step for commuters.” He further added, “It will remain a fact that no one can compete with the sheer volume of people transported by the commuters.”

BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said, “We will see good things for Mumbaikars this budget, there has been a special focus on issues being resolved in time.” He further said, “We will be seeing safety measures like the raising of the platform height and escalators taking centre stage as well.”