A 362km railway line is been planned for west-central India to link the country’s largest container port with the Manmad in the state of Maharashtra, and Indore, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh.
At present, cargo arriving at Jawaharlal Nehru Port has to follow a circuitous route to get to major population centres. The proposed Indore-Manmad line will cut 171km off the current route.
A memorandum of understanding for the development has been signed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, India’s Ministry of Shipping, the Ministry of Railways, and the governments of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
A joint venture company will be created to carry out construction. It will be led by the port trust, with a 55% stake; the governments of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will have a 15% share each.
The line will pass through the planned Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, including the nodes of Igatpuri, Nashik and Sinnar, Pune and Khed, and Dhule and Nardana.
During the first decade of service, the railway is expected to create over $2bn of net profit. It is due to be operational within six years.
Image courtesy of India’s Ministry of Shipping
