Miraj passenger train services after govt nod

Kolhapur: Railway authorities have said Kolhapur-Miraj passenger train services would not be resumed till they got permission from the state government.

As the express trains do not halt at small railway stations, people from Gandhinagar, Rukdi, Nimshirgaon, Hatkanangle had demanded resumption of passenger trains as early as possible.

Shivnath Biyani, member of the advisory committee, Central Railway’s Pune board, said, "The Divisional Railway Advisory Committee held a meeting in Pune on Thursday evening and the Pune division of Central Railway has cleared that the passenger train service on Kolhapur-Miraj route will start only after the state government gives permission.”

Passenger trains have been stopped for the last one-and-a-half years owing to the pandemic. “During the meeting, we also spoke about resuming Kolhapur-Mumbai Sahyadri Express and Kolhapur-Solapur Express trains,” Biyani said.

Officials said doubling and electrification of Pune-Miraj rail route would be completed by March 2024. The meeting was attended by Shivnath Biyani, Anand Mane, Sunil Modi along with other 22 committee members.