Both CIDCO and Central Railway have agreed to a 67:33 cost-sharing formula.
“We have laid one track along the stretch to Kharpokar and work is on to complete the other track,” a CIDCO official said.
Central Railways also needs to complete the signalling and electrification work and do the trial runs for obtaining the safety certificate, the official added.
CIDCO chief engineer Sanjay Chotaliya said, “We are responsible for building four new stations on the new Uran link corridor and we have asked the railways to complete the work.”
With a view to providing a new link, that is already delayed by several years, CIDCO has decided to complete the work on two of the four stations on the new link corridor.
The town planning body has kept the work of one station under abeyance while the fourth one is in the tendering stage to finalise the bidder.
The first four stations are Sagarsangam, Targhar, Bamandongri and Kharpokar. Since Sagarsangam is close to Seawoods and Belapur and there is not much traffic in the area, CIDCO has kept the construction of this station in abeyance while Targhar is in the tendering stage, Chotaliya said.
The work on the other railway stations—Bamandongri and Kharpokar is underway. The new stations on the Uran link corridor are Sagarsangam, Targhar, Bamandongri, Kharpokar, Gavan, Ranjanpada, Nhava Sheva, Dronagri and Uran.
Nerul–Uran line to become important link of Mumbai Suburban Rail system
Nerul–Uran rail line – an under construction railway line in Mumbai is part of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. The 27-kilometer line connects Nerul with Uran and has 11 stations. The first phase of the line, a 12-km section from Seawoods to Kharkopar, is scheduled to be completed by December 2025. The remaining section of the line is expected to be completed by June 2025.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) was appointed as a New Town Development Authority in 1970. Government acquired the land from 95 villages and handed over to CIDCO for development of towns. To decongest the mother city, Mumbai, CIDCO developed 14 nodes in Navi Mumbai. The development of Navi Mumbai International Airport and 6 railway corridors in Navi Mumbai were meant for increasing connectivity between the towns, nodes and mega establishments.The major features of the rail corridor are direct access from residential to railway station by foot, convenient interchange facility from one corridor to another, double discharge platforms at every station, easy to follow routes and comfortable and pleasant journeys form the key features of the commuter railway system in Navi Mumbai. The proposed Nerul / Belapur – Uran railway line will help to accelerate the growth of Navi Mumbai by providing direct access between Uran town, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, and the Newly developed areas of Mumbai. The Railway line will cater to the passenger traffic demands generated by Jawaharlal Nehru Port, port based industries, ONGC, Defence establishment at Uran and other residential, industrial, and warehousing complexes in Uran taluka.
The Nerul/Belapur-Uran Railway corridor is attached to the Mumbai CST-Panvel Harbour line (Mumbai Suburban Railway). The railway Project between Nerul and Belapur- Seawood-Uran was approved by Ministry of Railways and CIDCO Board. The work on the project began in July 1997. However, due to various unforeseen reasons, the work was delayed and hence stalled, until recently when the project was revived after the tripartite agreement between Railways, CIDCO and Govt. of Maharashtra was executed on 29.07.2025.
The original estimate cost for the project was ₹495 crore in 1997, which escalated to ₹1,782 crore. The cost is being shared by CIDCO and the Indian Railways (67:33).
Construction on the Kharkopar, Bamnadongri and Targhar stations began in the first week of March 2017. CIDCO chose to postpone construction of the Sangarsangam station in order to complete the rest of the first phase by the December 2017 deadline.
The total length of the corridor is 27 km and consists of 10 stations; 4 major bridges; 5 Road Over Bridges,15 Road under bridges, 1 track under bridge. The 270 mt platforms for four Broad gauge (B.G.) tracks to cater 12-car electric multiple unit rakes with double discharge. The railway track structure shall comprise 60Kg/m I-class rails, laid on mono block prestressed concrete sleepers to 16660/Km sleeper density.The bridges will be built to Modified Broad gauge (MBG) standard of loading. Stone ballast 65mm gauge with ballast cushion of 300mm below the underside of sleepers will be provided.The 10 stations on the proposed railway line are Seawoods, Sagar Sangam, Targhar, Bamandongari, Kharkopar, Gavhan, Ranjanpada, Nava-Sheva, Dronagiri and Uran. Provisions are made for one arm of the railway line to go to CBD Belapur station from Sagarsangam station.The project is to be completed in two phases Nerul-Seawood to Kharkopar and Kharkopar to Uran. The deadline for the first phase of the project till Kharkopar is December 2025.
Here’s an updated and verified overview of the Nerul–Uran rail line project, including its current status and remarks from CIDCO Managing Director Bhushan Gagrani:
🚉 Nerul–Uran Rail Line: Project Overview & Status
Project Highlights
- A strategic 27 km suburban rail corridor connecting Nerul/Belapur, Seawoods, Kharkopar, and Uran via ten new stations. The route is designed to improve connectivity to JNPZ port, industrial zones, and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport ([turn0search8]turn0search4]turn0search5]).
- Cost-sharing: CIDCO (67%) and Indian Railways (33%). Originally estimated at ₹495 cr in 1997, the cost escalated to over ₹1,782 cr as of the tripartite agreement signed in 2011 ([turn0search0]turn0search4]).
Phased Development
- Phase I (Nerul/Belapur to Kharkopar, ~12.4 km) became operational in November 2025, with around 40 services per day and initial stations—Seawoods, Targhar, Bamandongri, Kharkopar ([turn0search5]turn0search3]).
- Phase II (Kharkopar to Uran, ~14.3 km) was commissioned on January 12, 2025, when PM Modi inaugurated the stretch. Stations at Nhava-Sheva, Dronagiri, and Uran are operational, but service frequency remains limited to bays of existing services ([turn0search5]turn0search3]turn0search8]).
📣 CIDCO MD Bhushan Gagrani’s Update
According to CIDCO MD Bhushan Gagrani, in a December 2025 update:
- The Nerul–Uran rail line “may get rolling by year‑end”, referring to final trial runs and full service rollout by the end of 2025.
- At that time, one track had already been laid to Kharkopar, with work on the parallel track, signalling, electrification, and station construction in progress.
- CIDCO was responsible for constructing four new stations; work was underway on Bamandongri and Kharkopar, while Targhar was in tenders, and Sagarsangam station was deferred due to low projected ridership ([turn0search0]).
📅 Timeline of Key Events
| Phase | Milestone | Target Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Project approved | CIDCO–Railways tripartite deal | Around 2025 |
| Phase I completion | Nerul/Belapur to Kharkopar | Nov 2025 |
| Bhushan Gagrani’s update | Signalled full readiness by year-end | Dec 2025 |
| Intent to complete Phase II | CRS inspection & commissioning | March 2025 (planned) |
| Phase II inauguration | Kharkopar to Uran operational | Jan 12, 2025 |
🧠 Takeway & Current Observations
- Gagrani’s remarks in 2025 reflected strong confidence that the corridor would become fully operational by year-end, aligning with active construction and preparatory work underway at the time.
- Phase II was indeed commissioned in January 2025; however, frequency remains constrained, especially against forecasted needs near the airport.
- Local Reddit users and commuters have highlighted low frequency, limited rake availability, and halts of up to 45–60 minutes at terminals, impacting usability during peak hours ([turn0reddit21]turn0reddit26]).
✅ Final Takeaway
- The Nerul–Uran suburban rail corridor is now fully operational and open to public travel since January 2025.
- Bhushan Gagrani’s 2025 projection (“may get rolling by year-end”) turned out to be reasonably accurate given commissioning happened shortly thereafter.
- While the corridor is functional, service frequency and expansion of fleet/rakes remain ongoing issues impacting its full potential.
Would you like details on current train timings, planned frequency enhancements, or station transit connections near Uran or the airport area?