"Railways and NHAI to Finance Rail and Road Connectivity to Mega Vadhavan Port"

The Indian Railways and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have announced plans to provide separate funding for the last-mile rail and road connectivity to the mega port being developed by the Central government in Vadhavan, near Dahanu, within Maharashtra's Palghar district. The estimated cost for this critical infrastructure development is around Rs. 5,000 crores. This initiative aims to alleviate the financial burden on the special purpose vehicle led by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, which is responsible for overseeing the Rs. 76,220 crore Vadhavan port project.

In addition to this funding, another significant aspect of the project involves the development of the in-port rail yard, which includes the deployment of essential equipment such as eRTGs (Electric Rubber-Tired Gantry Cranes) and RMGCs (Rail-Mounted Gantry Cranes), as well as managing rail operations within the port. This portion of the project is projected to cost approximately Rs. 3,071 crore and will be executed either by a Railway public sector undertaking or offered to a private rail operator through a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

ET