The proposed goods siding yard at Boisar railway station in Palghar district has received a key environmental clearance, with the state government approving the diversion of nearly 4.985 hectares, or 12.32 acres, of forest land for the project.
The new yard is being developed by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRVC) as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-3 (MUTP-3). The Union environment ministry had previously granted final approval for the use of the forest land for the project.
Existing Yard to Make Way for Railway Quadrupling
Boisar currently has two goods-handling yards operating outside the railway station. The yard located closer to the station handles freight trains and facilitates the movement of around 80-100 trailers every day to industrial units in the surrounding area.
Another facility, located beyond the Khairapada bridge, is used for transporting heavy industrial material, including steel billets manufactured in Boisar and Tarapur.
The existing western goods yard, however, is located along the alignment of the proposed quadrupling of the Western Railway line. Its presence has therefore emerged as an obstacle to the planned expansion of railway capacity.
New Site Planned in Boisar West
To address the issue, authorities have proposed shifting the western goods yard to a new location near the old BARC warehouse adjoining the Chitralaya area in Boisar West.
The proposed site includes a combination of private property and protected forest land. The requirement for forest land diversion had remained one of the significant hurdles before the relocation could proceed.
With the latest state government order transferring the required forest area to MRVC for the project, that administrative obstacle has now been cleared.
Boost for Western Railway Capacity
The relocation of the goods yard is closely linked to plans to increase the number of railway tracks through the region. Shifting the freight facility away from the existing alignment is expected to create the space required for the proposed four-line Western Railway corridor.
The Boisar project is therefore expected to support both freight-handling requirements and long-term passenger and railway capacity expansion in the area.
Boisar and the wider Palghar belt have witnessed growing industrial activity, increasing the importance of efficient freight movement to and from manufacturing units. A dedicated and suitably located goods yard could help streamline this traffic while reducing conflicts with future railway infrastructure.
The forest diversion approval marks an important step for the project, although further construction and implementation activities will still need to progress according to the applicable clearances and project schedule.
For the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s northern rail corridor and the Palghar industrial belt, shifting the Boisar goods yard could become an important component of the broader effort to expand railway capacity while accommodating the region’s growing freight movement.
Source: Times of India
