All You Need to Know About Panvel Karjat Rail Corridor

Mumbai is all set to get a new suburban rail corridor with the Panvel-Karjat rail line construction. Travelling between Karjat to Panvel and beyond will get easier and faster, all thanks to the 29.6-km long rail corridor being constructed under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-3). 

The new suburban line is a part of the railway’s effort to enhance connectivity to all the untapped areas of MMR.

Who Will Benefit From Panvel-Karjat Rail Corridor?

The Panvel-Karjat double rail link will be a huge connectivity boost for people residing or working in the Navi Mumbai and Raigad districts. The 29.6-km rail route offers fast connectivity from Karjat to Panvel and vice versa. Once this project is completed, the congestion between Thane and Kalyan stations will be significantly reduced, as residents from Kalyan and beyond can prefer this faster route instead of travelling to Panvel via Thane. 

Residents staying in Panvel will reach the business suburbs of Airoli, Ghansoli, Mahape and Vashi in 1 hour. 

This project will go a long way in improving last-mile connectivity in Mumbai. People staying in Karjat and beyond can reach CST and South Mumbai within 1-1.5 hours, the same route would earlier take 2.5 hours. Even the business suburbs of Airoli, Ghansoli, Mahape and Vashi will be reachable in 1 hour from this route. 

This new double-line corridor will also work as a development catalyst for the entire Third Mumbai region, Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area. With improved connectivity, the land and property prices in these regions may see an exponential rise as this project nears completion.

About Panvel-Karjat Rail Link

The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is responsible for the project construction. The cost of this rail corridor is approximately Rs 812 crores. It will have three tunnels, two rail flyovers, 44 major and minor bridges, 15 road-under bridges, and 7 road-over bridges.

The 3 tunnels are the Nadhal tunnel, the Wavrely tunnel and the Kirawali tunnel. The Wavrely tunnel (2.6 km) is the longest tunnel being built on the entire Mumbai suburban railway line. These tunnels will have tunnel control, ballast-less tracks, a ventilation system, lightning, and a public refugee area. 

There will be 5 stations in this 29.6-km long route. The names of the stations are Panvel, Mahape, Chikle, Chowk and Karjat. 

It will also allow local trains to run between Mumbai and Karjat via Panvel. The distance between CSMT and Karjat will be reduced by half an hour, compared to the current route via Kalyan, which takes a little more than 2 hours

Current Status

MRVC has completed more than 46% of the construction work for this project. As of early 2024, more than 55 hectares of private land has been acquired for this project. Government land of 4.4 hectares and forest department land measuring 9 hectares has also been acquired. 

The digging work of the Kirawali tunnel began last year. Digging this tunnel has been a major challenge in this project. Hence, the work is done under tough limitations. The digging work is complete this 1 km. The waterproofing work and concrete lining are in progress.

The construction is set to be completed by December 2025. 

The Panvel-Karjat rail project will increase the demand for residential and commercial properties in regions of Panvel, Karjat, Ulwe, Neral, etc. 

Projects like Marathon Nexzone may be in high demand because of their strategic location and promise of a vibrant community lifestyle. It has 1, 2, and 2.5 BHK homes with open spaces and recreational amenities like a swimming pool, clubhouse, gymnasium, and jogging track. Guess what? It is 10 mins away from the Navi Mumbai International Airport, 20 mins from MTHL and 20 minutes from Panvel station.