Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation fast-tracks CST-Panvel corridor

The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has expedited the groundwork for the ambitious CST-Panvel high-speed corridor and Panvel-Diva-Virar route by asking the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) to submit an interim report on the technical feasibility of these projects by June. It also last week asked Pricewaterhouse Coopers to carry out a financial study on the two planned undertakings and submit a report within three months.
“We are going full steam ahead on these projects. After the two reports are received, we will approach the Maharashtra government, which can share the cost of the projects with us through the City and Development Corporation,” a senior MRVC official said.
Still, railway officials are hoping that Union minister Dinesh Trivedi would give the two projects an impetus by mentioning them in Wednesday’s budget.
According to the concept plan approved for projects to be taken up under Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III, the number of passengers on Central Railway’s Main Line and Western Railway has been growing annually by about 3%. At the same time, the passenger load has been increasing annually on Harbour and Transharbour network by 10%.
The load, officials fear, will worsen as the Vashi-Panvel belt develops further due to projects such as the Navi Mumbai airport, a new special economic zone, and the expansion of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. “We need to decongest the Harbour Line network,” the MRVC official said. “The proposed Panvel-Diva-Vasai-Virar corridor will help develop new townships along this route.”
MRVC is keen to develop the two projects on the public-private partnership model by floating a special purpose vehicle. Under this model, the private player will perform the day-to-day operations, such as running of services, collection of fare and the like. The management control, though, will remain with the MRVC so that it can ensure a balance between profitability and commuter interest.
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