The Maharashtra cabinet has approved the construction of a 105-km express freight corridor connecting the upcoming Vadhavan port in Palghar to the Samruddhi Expressway at Bharvir in Nashik district. According to an official statement, the high speed corridor will reduce the travel time from five hours to just one and a half hours.

The corridor, which will facilitate rapid movement of freight from the western coast to the hinterland, will be built by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation within the next three years at an estimated cost of two thousand and 529 crore rupees. The statement added that around 1500 crore of this cost will be raised through loans from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited.

The connector link is crucial to support the expected increase in cargo traffic from Vadhavan Port, which is part of the Centre’s Sagarmala initiative and is expected to become a major hub for international maritime trade.