Indian Railways Approves Rs 172 Crore Somtane–Chikhli Chord Line Project in Maharashtra

New Delhi, Jun 18 (KNN) Indian Railways has approved a Rs 172 crore project for the construction of the 3.7-km Somtane–Chikhli Chord Line on Central Railway, aimed at improving freight movement and reducing congestion at the busy Panvel Junction in Maharashtra.

The new rail link will connect Chikhli on the Karjat route with Somtane on the Roha route, enabling direct movement between the two corridors without trains entering Panvel Junction or undergoing engine reversal.

The project is expected to address a key operational bottleneck on routes serving Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA/JNPT), which handles nearly 60 per cent of India's container traffic.

At present, freight trains moving between the Karjat, Jasai and Roha corridors are required to pass through Panvel Junction and reverse engines, leading to delays and network congestion. Once operational, the chord line will allow trains to bypass the junction, significantly improving efficiency.

According to Indian Railways, the project is expected to reduce freight train detention by around 110 minutes per train, improving turnaround time and logistics performance.

The new connection is also projected to support an additional 9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of freight traffic, strengthening rail-based cargo movement in western India.

The Somtane–Chikhli Chord Line complements the previously approved Panvel Elevated Chord Line projects on the JNPT–Karjat and JNPT–Roha routes, completing a critical missing link in the region's freight network.

The project forms part of Indian Railways' broader efforts to expand capacity, improve multimodal connectivity and support the country's growing logistics and freight transportation requirements.

(KNN Bureau)