Union Minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal on Sunday announced a slew of projects, including 180 new escalators at stations across the suburban network, a new suburban station at Chikhloli between Ambernath and Badlapur, and a new railway corridor between Kalyan and Murbad.

The 28-km corridor will connect Murbad via Ulhasnagar and Vitthalwadi and will have four stations. The ₹726-crore project is expected to be completed by 2023. Mr. Goyal said the station at Chikhloli will reduce the distance between Ambernath and Badlapur stations, and give a boost to affordable housing in the region.

Mr. Goyal inaugurated the new suburban terminus at Parel, from where 32 locals will originate and terminate from Monday. He also laid the foundation for a 84-km corridor between Solapur and Osmanabad, which will be built at a cost of ₹905 crore.

The Union Minister also announced a new rail line to Alibaug, and said they are in talks with the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers to construct stations on the Pen-Thal line, which is at present being used by freight trains.

In another key development, the Railway Land Development Authority and the Dhravi Development Authority signed a memorandum of understanding to lease around 45 acres of railway land for the Dharavi redevelopment project.

Mr. Goyal said, “The Maharashtra government and the Railways have taken a very important decision for the development of Dharavi. The Railways and the residents of Dharavi will benefit from the project.”

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the project would not have been possible without the railway land as rehabilitation of 50,000 people was a mammoth task, which would have taken years to accomplish.