Pune: The long-awaited Pune–Nashik railway project received a major boost on Wednesday, with Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announcing that the detailed project report (DPR) for the revised corridor has been completed and the railways will proceed with the new alignment connecting Pune, Ahilyanagar, Sainagar Shirdi and Nashik.Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that DPR for revised Pune–Nashik railway corridor has been completed and railways will proceed with the new alignment. (MAHENDRA KOLHE/HT)Addressing the media in Pune, Vaishnaw said technical studies had found a direct Pune–Nashik alignment unfeasible. The railways has therefore finalised an alternative route that will offer nearly the same travel time at about one-third of the cost of the originally proposed corridor.“The new route will also serve a larger population and generate greater economic opportunities,” Vaishnaw said.The revised corridor will run from Nashik through Sainagar Shirdi, Puntamba, Nimblak and Ahilyanagar before reaching Pune via the Chakan industrial belt. Vaishnaw said expanding railway capacity remains a top priority as Pune continues to witness rapid urban and industrial growth.The development follows the Centre’s decision in December 2025 to approve a revised alignment that avoids the sensitive scientific zone around the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at Khodad. The earlier Narayangaon alignment had faced objections from the department of science and technology and the department of atomic energy over concerns that rail traffic could interfere with the internationally significant radio astronomy facility.“After extensive consultations with stakeholders, we finalised an alignment that protects the GMRT observatory while meeting the connectivity needs of the region,” he had said.The DPR for doubling the Nashik Road–Sainagar Shirdi line has been completed, while ₹240 crore has been sanctioned for doubling the 17-km Shirdi–Puntamba section. Doubling work on the 80-km Puntamba–Nimblak stretch has been completed, and work on the 6-km Nimblak–Ahilyanagar section is in progress.In addition, a DPR worth ₹8,970 crore has been prepared for the construction of 133 km of new double railway lines between Ahilyanagar and Pune via Chakan.Beyond tourism, the corridor is expected to strengthen industrial growth, particularly in the Chakan manufacturing belt.