Shirdi Included in New Route for Nashik-Pune Semi High-Speed Rail Project, Says Deputy Chief Minister

On Saturday, February 10th, 2024,

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a change in the route of the Nashik-Pune Semi High-Speed Rail project. The route will now include Shirdi as well. This alteration has been made with the aim of increasing the ridership of the train.

The originally proposed route for the Nashik-Pune Semi High-Speed Rail was Nashik-Sangamner-Pune, covering a distance of 235 kilometres.

The project proposal for the new route is with the union cabinet for its final approval. The project details will be worked out as soon as the new route is approved by the Union Cabinet, said Fadnavis. He also added that despite there being a 30km additional travel, the travel time for passengers will remain the same. The route is going to be electrified from the beginning. Due to the addition of a new route, the plan to construct 19 flyovers is likely to change.

A six-coach train will run on this route in the initial phase. A train with 6-12 coaches will then depart after that, and the line will have a total of twenty stations. The five to six-hour trip from Pune to Nashik will now only take one hour and forty minutes after the completion of the project.

The work of laying the railway track and land acquisition for the construction of the railways has been started from Sinnar taluka in Nashik.

This announcement was made after inaugurating the renovated Mela Bus terminus of the MSRTC in Nashik.