Central Railways sanctions Rs 125 cr for Pune-Satara line

Kolhapur: The Central Railway has sanctioned Rs 125 crore for carrying out doubling of the Pune-Satara stretch. The works is a part of the Rs 4,600-crore project of the Union railway ministry that has proposed doubling of the Pune-Miraj-Londha rail line.
The project was announced two years ago, but it took a long time for the ministry to finish the paper work and reach the tendering stage.Officials in the CR confirmed that the tender will be released within a month and the actual work should start by October. The contractor concerned will get a one-year tenure to complete the first phase of the double lining work.
In the meantime, MPs from Satara and Sangli as well as local activists have demanded realignment of the existing stretch between Salape to Wathar station, which is an accident-prone area. The change will also enable the railways to run superfast express trains between Kolhapur and Pune.
Officials of the CR's Pune division confirmed that financial approval has been given for doubling of the rail line between Pune and Satara. "The distance of the stretch is 145km. The necessary tender will be floated by the first week of June and the administrative procedure would be completed before October. The construction work can start from October so that most of the work is done by June next year. As per our estimation, the work will be completed within a year as most of the area is barren. The railways has already earmarked its proposed expansion. Hence, we can complete work at the earliest," officials said, requesting anonymity.
Mohan Shete, former manager of the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj terminus and member of the divisional railway users' consultative committee, said, "The Kolhapur-Pune railway track completed its conversion from meter gauge to broad gauge in 1971. The doubling of rail line is the first big project being implemented on this route. It is also one of the costliest projects of the railways in the state."
Makrand Deshpande, head of the Miraj action committee, said, "Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu has already announced Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi railway line. It means that coastal goods will be carried to Kolhapur via train at a very affordable cost. Hence, Kolhapur to Miraj rail line doubling will have to take place simultaneously. I will pursue the issue with the state as well as the central government."
The earlier proposal was of doubling of the Pune-Miraj-Kolhapur railway line at a cost of Rs 813.17 crore. The revised proposal is from Pune to Londa via Miraj. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 4,670 crore.
The project will be completed by two sections of the railways - CR and South Central Railway (SCR). Of the total project, the railway track starting from Pune till 280km will be doubled by the CR's Pune division. The remaining part of the railway track till Londha will be completed by the SCR's Hubli division.
Shivnath Biyani, member of the zonal railway users' consultative committee, said, "The Pune-Londha region is one of the prosperous areas of the state with most of the districts having very good per capita income. The purchasing capacity of these regions is very high. Besides, the areas are highly industrialised as well. The doubling of rail line will enable the railways to run more trains and generate more business."
Shete said, "The stretch near Salape, Adarki and Wathar station in Satara district is curvy. A couple of railway derailments have taken place there in the last two years. The trains are also advised to move slowly when passing through the region.ue to the sharp turns and curves, all the trains have to keep its speed less than 30 km per hour. The same area is still barren. With the help of modern machinery, the entire stretch can be converted into a straight route. This will solve the problem forever and trains can move faster."