Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS) The Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday approved the release of Rs 4,826 crore for the purchase of 238 air-conditioned local trains for Mumbai under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase-3 and 3A (MUTP-3 & 3A) from the contribution of the Railway Board and the state government under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase-3 and 3A (MUTP-3 & 3A).

The Mumbai Urban Transport Project is being implemented by Mumbai Railway Development Corporation.

In this project, the purchase of 238 suburban railway trains under Phase-3 (MUTP-3) and 3A (MUTP-3A) has been approved to be taken entirely from the funds of the Railways and the State Government instead of taking external loans. In this, the State Government will have a share of 50 per cent, which will be worth Rs 2,413 crore. Approval of the Central Railway Board will be taken for this.

Today’s cabinet approval comes days after the cabinet infrastructure committee, headed by CM Fadnavis, on August 19 had cleared the purchase of 238 AC local trains, marking the biggest single addition of modern rolling stock to the city’s overburdened local train network.

The Chief Minister said that the fare of the AC trains would be the same as that of the general non-AC local trains. Calling it a “turning point” for Mumbai’s lifeline, CM Fadnavis said the new rakes would be fitted with closed doors, automatic systems and metro-style facilities, and would gradually replace the older, doorless trains that remain in service across the western and central lines.

In a related development, the state cabinet also approved the construction of 136.652 km of new routes under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-3B) proposed by Mumbai Railway Development Corporation.

The project cost is estimated at Rs 14,907.47 crore. It was also approved to bear 50 per cent of the financial burden of this cost, which comes to Rs 7,453.73 crore.

Under Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3B, the construction of the third and fourth railway lines between Badlapur-Karjat (32.46 km), the fourth railway line between Asangaon Kasara (34.966 km) and the new suburban railway corridor between Panvel and Vasai (69.226 km) will be constructed.

This suburban railway project will be constructed by the Mumbai Railway Development Corporation. It was approved to declare this project as an “Urgent Public Project” and an “Ambitious Urban Transport Project”.

Also, 50 per cent of the funds available from the development of the railway land at Bandra (East) will be adjusted as per the requirement as the state government’s share, and the remaining funds will be deposited in the Urban Transport Fund (UTF), said the government release.

Apart from this, a request will be made to the Centre from time to time to levy a surcharge on the railway ticket from this project, like MUTP-2, and this amount will be deposited in the urban transport fund of the state government.

–IANS

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