Indian Railways approves Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line project in Maharashtra

New Delhi: Indian Railways approved the Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line project in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs.172 crore. The project aims to improve freight movement and reduce congestion at Panvel Junction.

The 3.7-km rail link will connect Chikhli on the Karjat route with Somtane on the Roha route. The new connection will allow trains to move directly between the two corridors without entering Panvel Junction or reversing engines.

Panvel is one of the busiest railway junctions in the Mumbai region. It handles train traffic from Roha, JNPT, Karjat and Diva. Railway officials said the absence of a direct link between the Karjat and Roha routes created operational constraints and increased congestion.

The new line will streamline train operations and improve overall network efficiency. It will also strengthen freight connectivity linked to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, which handles nearly 60 percent of India’s container traffic.

Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line to improve freight efficiency

At present, freight trains travelling between the Karjat, Jasai and Roha corridors must pass through Panvel Junction. They also undergo engine reversals before continuing their journey.

Railways said the new link would allow freight trains to bypass Panvel Junction. As a result, each freight train could save about 110 minutes in detention time. The change is expected to improve turnaround time and logistics efficiency significantly.

The project will also support the movement of an additional nine million tonnes of freight traffic every year after completion. Officials said it complements the approved Panvel Elevated Chord Lines on the JNPT-Karjat and JNPT-Roha sections.

The approval completes an important missing link in western India’s freight network. Indian Railways said the project aligns with its efforts to expand capacity, strengthen multimodal connectivity and support growing logistics demand.