Railways will run 342 special trains from Mumbai to Konkan during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival starting from September 7 next month.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024Indian Railways will run as many as 342 special trains from Mumbai to Konkan during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival starting from September 7 next month. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced this on Thursday.

“There was a demand for 300 Ganpati special trains going to Konkan, but Indian Railways has decided to run 342 special trains during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival,” Vaishnav said while flagging off the inauguration via video link. – Weekly trains between Bandra Terminus in Mumbai and Madgaon in Goa.

Notably, lakhs of people travel from Mumbai to their native villages in Konkan every year during the ten-day Ganeshotsav, which begins on September 7.

Goyal flagged off Mumbai-Konkan direct train

Meanwhile, Union Commerce Minister and local MP Piyush Goyal flagged off the train, which will provide direct connectivity to Mumbai's western suburbs and the Konkan coast.

Speaking on the occasion, Vaishnav said that the completion of 12 ongoing infrastructure projects will significantly improve the suburban rail network in Mumbai.

“The investment of Rs 16,240 crore in Mumbai's suburban system (through these projects) will be very beneficial for Mumbaikars and will be a big relief for all Mumbaikars,” he said.

These projects include CSMT-Kurla 5th and 6th Line (Rs. 891 crore), Mumbai Central-Borivali 6th Line (Rs. 919 crore), Harbor Line Extension from Goregaon to Borivali (Rs. 826 crore), Borivali-Virar 5th and 6th Line (Rs. 2,184 crore), Virar-Dahanu 3rd and 4th Line (Rs. 3,587 crore), Panvel-Karjat Suburban Corridor (Rs. 2,782 crore), Airoli-Kalwa Elevated Suburban Corridor (Rs. 476 crore), Kalyan-Asangaon 4th Line, 1,957 crore. Rs. ), Kalyan-Badlapur 3rd and 4th Line (Rs. 1,510 crore), Kalyan-Kasara 3rd Line (Rs. 792 crore), Naigaon – Juhichandra Double Chord Line (Rs. 176 crore) and Nikalje-Kopar Double Chord Line (Rs. 338 crore).

Maharashtra's railway budget has increased by 15 thousand crore rupees

Prior to 2014, the budgetary allocation for development of railway network in Maharashtra was Rs 1,171 crore, but it has been increased by 13 times to Rs 15,940 crore in 2024-25, Vaishnav revealed.

Maharashtra has laid 1,830 km of new tracks in the last ten years, “more than the entire rail network of Sri Lanka,” he said, adding that 41 railway projects of 5,877 km with an investment of Rs 81,580 crore are currently underway. Built in the state.

The planned redevelopment of Mumbai's iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) will make it an internationally acclaimed and visited destination, Vaishnav said.

He mentioned that 318 railway flyovers and underpasses are currently being constructed in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 5,600 crore.

(with PTI input)