Pune, Ramesh Jadhav

The long-pending dream of a semi-high-speed railway connecting Pune and Nashik has suffered a major setback, with indications that India's first such corridor may now be developed between Ahmedabad and Dholera in Gujarat rather than in Maharashtra.

The development has triggered renewed debate over the fate of the original Pune–Rajgurunagar–Sangamner–Nashik railway alignment, which was subsequently shelved following objections related to the buffer zone of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) observatory at Khodad in Pune district.

Critics argue that the cancellation of the original route reflects a lack of political will and inadequate efforts to reconcile infrastructure development with scientific concerns. They contend that before abandoning the project, authorities should have undertaken a broader scientific evaluation involving multiple research institutions to explore solutions that could mitigate the impact of railway operations on the observatory.

The original railway corridor was viewed as a transformative infrastructure project for the Pune–Rajgurunagar–Sangamner–Nashik belt, promising improved connectivity for farmers, industries, businesses, students, and daily commuters across the region.

Questions have also been raised about the decision to replace the original alignment with a proposed Nashik–Shirdi–Ahmednagar–Chakan–Pune route. Opponents of the revised plan claim the new alignment is significantly longer and could delay the realization of a direct rail link between the two major cities.

At the heart of the controversy are concerns regarding radio frequency interference (RFI) and electromagnetic emissions from railway operations, which scientists fear could affect the highly sensitive observations conducted by the GMRT facility. Critics, however, argue that modern engineering solutions, including route realignment, underground tunnelling, speed restrictions, or alternative traction systems in sensitive zones, deserved greater examination before the project was abandoned.

Supporters of the original alignment point out that highways carrying thousands of vehicles already operate near the observatory's buffer zone, questioning whether technological measures could have been developed to minimize railway-related interference as well.

The Pune–Nashik railway proposal dates back to 2013 when it received approval from then Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. In 2021, the project received renewed attention when the Maharashtra government announced plans for a semi-high-speed rail service between the two cities.

Despite more than a decade of discussions, surveys, land acquisition exercises, and political announcements, the project remains stalled. Infrastructure experts note that even if a semi-high-speed service proves difficult to implement, authorities could still examine the feasibility of a conventional high-speed regional rail network capable of operating at speeds of 100–130 kmph.

As the Ahmedabad–Dholera corridor moves forward, stakeholders in Maharashtra fear that a strategically important transport project for western Maharashtra may be indefinitely delayed unless fresh efforts are made to revisit the original alignment and explore scientifically viable alternatives.

The debate underscores the broader challenge of balancing scientific research infrastructure with large-scale public development projects, while ensuring that long-promised transportation investments do not remain confined to policy announcements alone.