Bhavnagar: The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned ₹52.16 crore for conducting Final Location Surveys (FLS) and preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for ten major railway projects in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. This includes a major 40-km-long railway sea-link project between Dahej and Bhavnagar.

This railway sea-link project will be the first of its kind in the state of Gujarat. The railway line, which will be built along the sea route between Dahej and Bhavnagar, will directly connect Saurashtra to South Gujarat, ultimately leading to Mumbai. Currently, travelers heading toward Mumbai must take the Ahmedabad-Anand-Vadodara route, but once the project is completed, this detour will no longer be necessary.

For this project, the Railway Board has allocated ₹1 crore for the Final Location Survey (FLS). According to railway officials, this survey will help determine the project’s starting point.

At present, it takes nine hours to cover the 530-km distance from Bhavnagar to Surat, but with this project, the distance will be reduced to 160 km, and the journey will take just three hours. Similarly, the travel time from Saurashtra to Mumbai, which currently takes 13 hours, will be cut down to eight hours.

Additionally, people traveling between Saurashtra and South Gujarat by train will no longer need to pass through Ahmedabad or Vadodara. Instead, they will reach Bharuch directly via the sea-link railway from Bhavnagar through Dahej.

Meanwhile, preparations are also underway for a 924-km-long coastal railway line connecting Dahej to Porbandar, Dwarka, and Okha.

In addition to the 40-km railway sea-link project, the Railway Ministry has sanctioned ₹23 crore to Zonal Railways for surveying the final location of a 924-km coastal railway line. These proposed coastal railway lines include:

• Dahej-Jambusar-Kathana-Khambhat-Dholera-Bhavnagar
• Bhavnagar-Mahuva-Pipavav
• Pipavav-Chhara-Somnath-Sardiya-Porbandar-Dwarka-Okha