Overview
- The proposal, which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at a Jabil event in Pune, would run alongside the 701‑km Samruddhi Expressway and connect ports with dry ports and industrial centres.
- Maharashtra says the corridor would link Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and the planned Vadhvan Port with dry ports at Jalna and Wardha and extend toward Gadchiroli to serve steel and manufacturing hubs.
- The state cites reserved right‑of‑way along much of the Samruddhi route as a key enabler but officials have not released feasibility studies, financing plans or formal central approvals yet.
- Fadnavis told reporters the corridor could cut logistics costs to around seven to eight percent and that he discussed the idea with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the event.
- If built, the line could broaden port‑led development beyond coastal districts, boost competitiveness for electronics and data‑centre projects, and reroute inland container traffic through dedicated rail terminals called dry ports.