Pune-Nashik industrial corridor along rail route not viable: MSRDC

MSRDC has dismissed the idea of aligning the Pune-Nashik corridor with the rail line due to technical and financial issues, insisting on the original route.

PUNE: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has ruled out the possibility of aligning the proposed Pune-Nashik industrial corridor with the upcoming semi-high-speed rail line. Officials cited technical and financial constraints, deeming the alternative alignment unfeasible.

New Delhi, India - 19 August 2013 - The Eight coach metro leaving Ashok Nagar station on its maiden run in New Delhi India on Monday 19 August 2013, The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is pressing the first eight-coach train into service on the crowded Blue line, as the Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida City Centre/Vaishali route. Photo by Mohd Zakir / Hindustan Times

The state government had asked MSRDC to explore the realignment option in response to mounting opposition from farmers and landowners along the original 213 km highway route. The idea was to minimise land acquisition challenges by leveraging the existing corridor being developed for rail.

However, MSRDC’s detailed report, submitted last week, says the two infrastructures serve fundamentally different purposes and cannot be integrated.

“The rail project is meant for fast intercity travel, while the industrial corridor is designed to connect multiple towns, villages, and industrial zones. Regulatory buffer zones around the railway make it nearly impossible to lay an expressway alongside. The cost of such co-location would also be prohibitively high,” a senior MSRDC official said.

The original alignment—approved by the state government last year—includes a 135 km stretch from Pune to Shirdi, 52 km from Shirdi to Niphad (linking the Surat-Chennai Expressway), and 18 km to Nashik.

Although the realignment was proposed to placate aggrieved landowners, particularly in agricultural belts, MSRDC maintains that sticking to the approved route is the only viable option.

Now, the final decision now rests with the state government, which is yet to give MSRDC the green signal to proceed with the next phase.

The Pune-Nashik corridor is a key part of MSRDC’s broader 4,200-km network aimed at enhancing intra-state connectivity. Once complete, the corridor is expected to cut travel time between the two cities from five hours to 2.5 hours.