A sum of Rs 729.55 crore has been allocated in the Union Budget 2022-23 for various Metropolitan Transport Projects (MTPs) in Mumbai and Pune, while more than Rs 19,000 crore has be earmarked for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, according to budget documents released on Wednesday.
‘Pink book’, a budget document containing detailed allocations of various projects and works on the Railway board’s website, showed that Rs 577.5 crore (down from Rs 650 crore last year) has been allocated for Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) for expansion and capacity augmentation of the city’s suburban network. Out of Rs 577.5 crore, Rs 185 crore has been allocated for MUTP-2, Rs 195 crore for MUTP-3 and Rs 200 crore for MUTP-3A apart from Rs 2.5 crore for running 12-coach suburban trains on Mumbai’s Harbour corridor on the Central Railway.
In the Union Budget for 2021-22, Rs 200 crore was allocated for MUTP-2, Rs 300 crore for MUTP-3 and Rs 150 crore for MUTP-3A. Ravi Agarwal, chairman and managing director, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC), said it’s a progressive budget for Railways, specially for Mumbaikars as Rs 1,155 crore has been allocated for MUTP projects. “This will further give impetus to the ongoing works and new works planned during the year by MRVC for Central and Western Railway. Suburban travellers can expect a lot of developmental work in days to come,” Agarwal said.
Out of Rs 729.55 crore allocation for MTPs in Mumbai and Pune, Rs 5 lakh has been allotted for two additional lines for suburban train services between Pune and Lonavala. Under MTPs, a sum of Rs 150 crore has been allocated for the Belapur-Uran-Seawood railway line that will provide suburban connectivity to areas around the under-construction international airport in Navi Mumbai. Interestingly, Rs 5 crore has been allocated for a new 28-km-long corridor between Kalyan-Murbad via Ulhasnagar in Thane district that is estimated to cost around Rs 726.46 crore.
For the third rail line between Kalyan and Kasara on the Central Railway, a sum of Rs 160 crore has been earmarked. A National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) official said Rs 19,102 crore has been allocated in the budget for the corporation, which is building the first bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The bullet train project is estimated to cost over Rs 1 lakh crore.
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