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Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Samruddhi Mahamarg opens fully, cuts down travel time from Mumbai to Nagpur by 9 hours
The Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg is now open end to end after the 76-kilometre leg between Igatpuri and Amane (Thane) was inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, providing a seamless 701-kilometre connectivity from Mumbai to Nagpur. The six-lane expressway that is now fully operational will reduce the travel time between the two cities by half from 17 hours to around eight hours. The event organised at Igatpuri was also attended by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar and other ministers of the Mahayuti government. The completion of the last leg brings the entire project to realisation after decades of intricate engineering issues, political will and huge investments. The project was initially estimated at Rs 55,500 crore, but as it crossed various technical and logistical barriers and the project cost rose to over Rs 61,000 crore. At the inauguration, Fadnavis, who initially conceptualised the project in his first tenure as a CM, said, 'This is not merely a road, it is a corridor of Maharashtra's economy. It directly connects 24 districts with JNPT and paves the way for growth, transportation, logistics and opportunities in agriculture, tourism and industrial development.' The final stretch of the corridor passing through Nashik and Thane districts had some of the most challenging construction tasks. The 76-kilometre section comprises five twin tunnels of 10.73 kilometres in length, including the broadest tunnel in the country near Igatpuri that is 8 km long and 17.61 metres wide. It also has India's first fire-fighting system in a tunnel. As many as 17 viaducts with an aggregate length of more than 10.56 kilometers had to be built in hilly and forested territory. 'Because of a thick forest block, absence of access roads, hilly terrain and high rainfall in Igatpuri, we had to work with utmost caution. Nevertheless, we adopted the best safety measures to facilitate a safe working environment,' said K Mallikharjuna Rao, Business Unit Head, Hydro and Underground, Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, who were a part of construction of the twin tunnels. This section also has interchanges at Igatpuri, Khutghar and Amane. More than 60 low and high voltage power lines had to be shifted for the construction along with the new rail overbridge. The road now provides a safer route to the scary Kasara Ghat and shortens the journey time from Igatpuri to Kasara to eight minutes. The Samruddhi Mahamarg is a greenfield expressway designed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) that passes through 392 villages in 26 talukas in 10 districts. It directly links Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahilyanagar, Nashik and Thane and indirectly serves many others such as Chandrapur, Nanded, Dhule, Palghar and Raigad. The highest speed limit is fixed at 120 kmph on flat terrain and 100 kmph in ghat sections. Shinde said, 'We initiated the project in our term and completed it in our term only. This access control road will prove to be a game changer in economic activity between Mumbai and Vidarbha. Earlier, the farmer who used to travel for three days to come to Mumbai with farm produce now is able to reach the same day.' Besides its huge size, the expressway has been built focusing on conservation and intelligent engineering, according to MSRDC officials. For the conservation of wildlife, 92 overpasses and eight underpasses have been constructed for the safe passage of animals. Over 3.3 million trees have been transplanted with native species and 1,000 farm ponds have been created along the road to support agriculture in the regions. Fadnavis also highlighted advanced features such as temperature sensitive fire fighting systems, rainwater harvesting systems and well designed interchanges. 'The fire fighting system and temperature sensitive surfaces are designed such that they get activated when temperatures rise above 60 degrees Celsius and self-deactivates when the temperature goes below 30 degrees Celsius,' he said. The expressway will also facilitate the transportation of goods between MIHAN in Nagpur and JNPT in Mumbai with faster and more reliable cargo movement. In future, there are proposals for 200 MW of solar power generation along the route, with 22 facility centres being planned to benefit travellers. A gas pipeline from Konkan to Nagpur through this corridor is also planned that will ensure constant fuel supply to industries along this route. After Samruddhi Mahamarg, the government is now set to apply the model of access controlled expressways to other proposed corridors such as the Mumbai-Pune expressway missing link and Shaktipeeth Mahamarg, thereby increasing the network of expressways across the state. 'We are constructing an access control grid so that one is able to reach any corner of the state to other within 8 to 10 hours only,' Shinde added. In his address, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said, 'When the project started, everyone opposed it, some even organised protests… The estimated amount was Rs 55,500 crore, but owing to factors, it has crossed Rs 61,000 crore now. But the magnitude of this achievement for the state is huge.'
Business Standard
30-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Kanpur Metro, built by Afcons
PRNewswire Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated a 5-kilometre stretch of the underground Kanpur Metro. Of this, one completed station--Kanpur Central Metro Station--and 2.4 kilometre of tunnelling have been executed by infrastructure major M/s Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. Afcons-led consortium is executing the KNPCC-06 package, which was awarded on March 14, 2022. The project includes design and construction of a 3.826 kilometre underground stretch comprising three metro stations: Kanpur Central, Jhakarkatti, and Transport Nagar, two twin tunnels bored using two shield Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), with others. Tunnelling along this stretch posed significant challenges due to the presence of dilapidated buildings. However, Afcons successfully navigated these complexities and completed the tunnelling work safely and efficiently. Construction of Kanpur Central Station, which began in December 2022, and the tunnelling works between Kanpur Central and Nawabganj, initiated in August 2023, have both been completed. Afcons, which has been associated with Kanpur Metro since its early phases, was previously responsible for the Priority Section under package KNPCC-02. This package included an elevated viaduct and nine elevated stations from IIT Kanpur to Motijheel. Afcons completed this section in record time despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The section was commissioned and opened to the public in June 2021. Afcons is a leader in metro construction in India, with a presence in over 10 cities. The company has executed and delivered complex projects, including India's first underwater tunnel in Kolkata, the country's first four-layer transportation system, a 5.6 kilometre double-decker viaduct for the Nagpur Metro, and one of the largest underground metro stations in India.
Business Upturn
30-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Kanpur Metro, built by Afcons
MUMBAI, India , May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated a 5-kilometre stretch of the underground Kanpur Metro. Of this, one completed station—Kanpur Central Metro Station—and 2.4 kilometre of tunnelling have been executed by infrastructure major M/s Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. Afcons-led consortium is executing the KNPCC-06 package, which was awarded on March 14, 2022 . The project includes design and construction of a 3.826 kilometre underground stretch comprising three metro stations: Kanpur Central, Jhakarkatti, and Transport Nagar, two twin tunnels bored using two shield Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), with others. Tunnelling along this stretch posed significant challenges due to the presence of dilapidated buildings. However, Afcons successfully navigated these complexities and completed the tunnelling work safely and efficiently. Construction of Kanpur Central Station, which began in December 2022 , and the tunnelling works between Kanpur Central and Nawabganj, initiated in August 2023 , have both been completed. Afcons, which has been associated with Kanpur Metro since its early phases, was previously responsible for the Priority Section under package KNPCC-02. This package included an elevated viaduct and nine elevated stations from IIT Kanpur to Motijheel. Afcons completed this section in record time despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The section was commissioned and opened to the public in June 2021 . Afcons is a leader in metro construction in India , with a presence in over 10 cities. The company has executed and delivered complex projects, including India's first underwater tunnel in Kolkata , the country's first four-layer transportation system, a 5.6 kilometre double-decker viaduct for the Nagpur Metro, and one of the largest underground metro stations in India . About Afcons Infrastructure Ltd Afcons Infrastructure Ltd is flagship infrastructure engineering and construction company of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. It has a legacy of over six decades, with strong track record of executing numerous technologically complex EPC projects both within India and internationally. As per the latest ENR survey, Afcons is ranked in Top 140 international Contractors globally; 12th in Bridges and 14th in Marine & Ports. Photo: Logo:
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Kanpur Metro, built by Afcons
MUMBAI, India, May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated a 5-kilometre stretch of the underground Kanpur Metro. Of this, one completed station—Kanpur Central Metro Station—and 2.4 kilometre of tunnelling have been executed by infrastructure major M/s Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. Afcons-led consortium is executing the KNPCC-06 package, which was awarded on March 14, 2022. The project includes design and construction of a 3.826 kilometre underground stretch comprising three metro stations: Kanpur Central, Jhakarkatti, and Transport Nagar, two twin tunnels bored using two shield Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), with others. Tunnelling along this stretch posed significant challenges due to the presence of dilapidated buildings. However, Afcons successfully navigated these complexities and completed the tunnelling work safely and efficiently. Construction of Kanpur Central Station, which began in December 2022, and the tunnelling works between Kanpur Central and Nawabganj, initiated in August 2023, have both been completed. Afcons, which has been associated with Kanpur Metro since its early phases, was previously responsible for the Priority Section under package KNPCC-02. This package included an elevated viaduct and nine elevated stations from IIT Kanpur to Motijheel. Afcons completed this section in record time despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The section was commissioned and opened to the public in June 2021. Afcons is a leader in metro construction in India, with a presence in over 10 cities. The company has executed and delivered complex projects, including India's first underwater tunnel in Kolkata, the country's first four-layer transportation system, a 5.6 kilometre double-decker viaduct for the Nagpur Metro, and one of the largest underground metro stations in India. About Afcons Infrastructure Ltd Afcons Infrastructure Ltd is flagship infrastructure engineering and construction company of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. It has a legacy of over six decades, with strong track record of executing numerous technologically complex EPC projects both within India and internationally. As per the latest ENR survey, Afcons is ranked in Top 140 international Contractors globally; 12th in Bridges and 14th in Marine & Ports. Photo: View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
