Kolhapur-Miraj track doubling DPR to reach board by Aug

Kolhapur: Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Kumar Verma of Pune Division, Central Railway, said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for doubling the Kolhapur–Miraj railway track is being prepared and will be submitted to the railway board by the end of Aug.Verma was in Kolhapur on Wednesday to inspect works under the Amrit Bharat Yojana 2.0 scheme at stations on the Pune–Kolhapur route.While doubling work between Pune and Miraj is nearing completion, the 48-km Kolhapur–Miraj stretch remains a single line, forcing trains to operate at lower speeds.The single-track section has limited the railways' ability to increase train speeds, add trips and expand services on the Pune, Solapur and Miraj routes, leading to long-pending demands for doubling the line.Survey work for the project has been completed and data feeding is underway, expected to finish within one to two months. Once the route is doubled, new trains from Kolhapur can be introduced, frequencies of existing services increased and travel time reduced."After the submission of the DPR, the further processes will also be expedited. Most of the land required for the doubling is available with the railways. Due to this, the actual work of this route is likely to start by the end of this year," Verma said.He also reviewed work at the railway station and directed officials to speed up the projects assigned under the Amrit Bharat scheme and complete them on schedule. Later, Verma travelled to Miraj in the driver's cabin of the Kolhapur–Tirupati Haripriya Express to inspect the route. Senior railway officials accompanied him.