Massive Cost Cut: Revised Pune-Nashik Rail Route Finalised via Shirdi and Chakan at One-Third of Original Cost

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In a massive breakthrough for Maharashtra’s transit infrastructure, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the long-delayed Pune–Nashik railway project is officially complete.

Addressing the media in Pune, Vaishnaw revealed that the central government will move forward with a newly finalized, highly strategic alignment connecting Pune, Ahilyanagar, Sainagar Shirdi, and Nashik.

Technical feasibility studies had previously concluded that a direct, straight-line track between Pune and Nashik was unfeasible. The alternative route, however, achieves a major financial and logistical triumph: it offers nearly the identical travel time as the original plan but at just one-third of the projected cost.

Bypassing the GMRT Scientific Zone

The breakthrough follows an essential decision made in December 2025 to completely abandon the previously proposed Narayangaon track alignment.

The initial route had faced severe pushback from the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy. Experts warned that the electromagnetic interference from moving rail traffic would severely disrupt the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at Khodad, a globally renowned radio astronomy facility.

“After extensive consultations with stakeholders, we finalized an alignment that protects the GMRT observatory while meeting the connectivity needs of the region,” Vaishnaw stated, emphasizing that the new corridor will serve a far larger population and unlock greater economic opportunities.

Route Breakdown and Current Progress

The newly approved semi-high-speed corridor will weave through major industrial and spiritual hubs: Nashik $\rightarrow$ Sainagar Shirdi $\rightarrow$ Puntamba $\rightarrow$ Nimblak $\rightarrow$ Ahilyanagar $\rightarrow$ Chakan industrial belt $\rightarrow$ Pune.

The project is moving forward via multiple micro-phases:

Nashik Road to Sainagar Shirdi: DPR for track doubling is fully complete.
Shirdi to Puntamba: ₹240 crore has been officially sanctioned to double this crucial 17-km bottleneck.
Puntamba to Nimblak: Doubling work on this 80-km stretch is already 100% complete.
Nimblak to Ahilyanagar: Engineering work on this short 6-km link is currently underway.
Ahilyanagar to Pune (via Chakan): A massive DPR valued at ₹8,970 crore has been drafted to construct 133 km of brand-new double lines.

Beyond boosting religious tourism to Shirdi, the revised corridor is expected to act as an economic catalyst for freight and manufacturing, seamlessly linking Pune’s rapidly expanding urban footprint with the Chakan industrial manufacturing belt