Nashik-Dahanu rail link to allow direct access to Vadhavan Port

Nashik: The 100km-long proposed rail connectivity between Nashik and Dahanu in Palghar district will be a boon for exporters in the Nashik region as the upcoming deep-sea port in Vadhavan, for which PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on Friday, is just 13km from Dahanu.The ministry of railways has sanctioned the Final Location Survey (FLS) for the new 100km broad gauge rail line project from Nashik to Dahanu at Rs 2.50 crore. It will link major towns, including Trimbakeshwar and Vangaon."The FLS sanctioned is a major development for the region, considering the Nashik-Pune rail link also being in the advanced stage. The JNPT Port in Mumbai is overcrowded. The export-oriented goods from Nashik and those coming from the northern region will get easy access towards Vadhavan through Nashik," a senior officer from the Bhusawal railway division said.The new rail line will also be instrumental in boosting tourism, providing rail transportation to lakhs of devotees desirous of visiting Trimbakeshwar for darshan of one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.Govt's Vadhavan Dankuni East West Dedicated Freight Corridor is part of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC), as was announced in Sept 2023 and proposed under the National Rail Plan 2050. Chhagan Bhujbal, the state food and civil supplies minister, had in June written to the railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw requesting him to sanction the Nashik-Vadhavan corridor under the IMEEC.Grape and onion growers also see it as an opportunity for exports. "While this is good news, we don't really know of the fate of the project. We are still striving to see any development in the case of the Nashik-Pune semi-high speed railway that has been languishing for decades now. But once completed, it will be an important development for the region," exporter Rakesh Patil said.