Indian Railways has approved the Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line Project in Maharashtra at a cost of 172 crore rupees to decongest Panvel Junction. The Ministry of Railways said that the new chord line will bridge a critical missing rail link between Chikhli on the Karjat route and Somtane on the Roha route. It will provide seamless connectivity between the Karjat and Roha corridors without requiring trains to enter the congested Panvel Junction or undergo engine reversal.

The project is particularly significant for freight traffic associated with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Trust (JNPA and JNPT), which handles nearly 60 per cent of India’s container traffic. The project is also expected to save approximately 110 minutes of detention time per freight train, significantly improving turnaround time and logistics efficiency. With this approval, Indian Railways continues its focus on capacity augmentation, multimodal connectivity and development of efficient freight infrastructure to support India’s growing logistics and economic requirements.