Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has proposed the development of a dedicated rail freight corridor connecting the upcoming Vadhavan Port and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) with the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, a move aimed at strengthening logistics infrastructure and supporting industrial growth across the state.
The proposal was announced by Fadnavis during the inauguration of electronics manufacturer Jabil’s new facility in Pune. According to the Chief Minister, the planned rail corridor will run alongside the Samruddhi Mahamarg, where land has already been reserved for railway infrastructure along nearly the entire 701-km route.
The proposed network is expected to improve connectivity between Maharashtra’s ports, industrial clusters and inland logistics hubs. Key locations likely to benefit include Jalna in the Marathwada region, Wardha in Vidarbha and Gadchiroli, which Fadnavis described as a future steel manufacturing hub. He said the corridor would help integrate large parts of Maharashtra into global supply chains by improving freight movement and reducing transportation costs.
A major component of the plan is the upcoming Vadhavan Port, which is being developed as a deep-sea port with an annual cargo handling capacity of approximately 298 million metric tonnes, including around 24.5 million TEUs of container traffic. The Rs 76,220 crore project will be developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and is planned with nine container terminals, four multipurpose berths, four liquid cargo berths, one Ro-Ro berth and a Coast Guard berth.
The corridor will also connect with JNPA in Navi Mumbai, India’s largest container-handling port, which accounts for nearly half of the container cargo traffic handled by the country’s major ports. Commissioned in 1989, the port currently operates five container terminals and remains a critical gateway for international trade.
The proposed rail link will align with the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, a 701-km access-controlled corridor built at an estimated cost of Rs 55,000 crore. The expressway passes through 10 districts and improves connectivity across nearly 24 districts in Maharashtra, including regions such as Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra.
Fadnavis said the integrated logistics network could reduce freight and logistics costs to around 7–8%, enhancing Maharashtra’s competitiveness in global markets. He added that while only about 15% of the state currently benefits directly from port-led development, the proposed connectivity infrastructure could expand those benefits to nearly 75% of Maharashtra.
Source: Financial Express
