The Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra announced on Monday, 8 June 2026 that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired a high-level review meeting in Mumbai to accelerate the construction of railway overbridges and underpasses at level crossings across the state. Fadnavis approved 65 works in the first phase out of a total 131 projects identified under the Maharashtra Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation (MahRail), and directed that Maharashtra become completely free of railway level crossings.

Context

The post, shared by the Chief Minister's Office, quotes Fadnavis as stating: 'संपूर्ण महाराष्ट्रात एकाही रेल्वे मार्गावर फाटक राहता कामा नये' ('Not a single level crossing should remain on any railway line in the entire state of Maharashtra'). He further directed that infrastructure be built through the railways to achieve a level-crossing-free Maharashtra, and that in metropolitan areas, connectivity infrastructure be taken up proactively keeping in mind rapid urbanisation around rail corridors.

The approved 65 first-phase works will be executed by MahRail on roads under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Urban Development Department. These works include railway overbridges, pedestrian bridges, and underpasses beneath railway lines.

Policy Backdrop

MahRail was established by the Maharashtra government in 2019 as the state nodal agency to fast-track rail-road separation works and reduce dependence on central railway timelines. The current push aligns with Indian Railways' national safety programme to eliminate unmanned and manned level crossings through grade separators.

Fadnavis directed that priority be given to works on roads with 25,000 to 1,00,000 Train Vehicle Units (TVU) and requiring minimum land acquisition. He also instructed MahRail to phase works by priority order and to secure loans from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) for financing. Notably, he asked HUDCO to explore a separate funding mechanism — avoiding bank borrowings — so that interest charged to the state government on infrastructure loans remains competitive.

Fadnavis additionally directed that the process of bringing MahRail under the administrative control of the PWD be completed swiftly, and that the state government clear all pending bills of completed MahRail works without delay.

Stakeholders and Impact

A city-wise breakdown of the 80 urban railway infrastructure works planned across Maharashtra was presented at the meeting: Mumbai Metropolitan Region — 17, Pune — 15, Nagpur — 13, Nashik — 5, Amravati — 5, Sangli — 4, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — 3, Kolhapur — 3, Dhule — 3, Latur — 3, Parbhani — 3, Solapur — 2, Jalgaon — 2, Ahilyanagar — 1, and Nanded — 1.

For each city, a committee of the concerned Municipal Commissioner and District Collector will be constituted to verify planned works before MahRail proceeds with execution. Fadnavis stated that once completed, citizens in these areas will receive infrastructure even before they formally demand it. He also specifically directed action to prevent traffic congestion at intersections on overbridges in Nagpur, and called for a new railway overbridge on the Amravati-Badnera route to replace the existing ageing structure.

The meeting was attended by Minister Shivendra Sinharaj Bhosale, Minister of State Indranil Naik, MLA Prasad Lad, and senior officials.

What's Next

The immediate next steps involve formation of district-level verification committees by municipal commissioners and collectors, followed by MahRail drawing up phased timelines for the 65 sanctioned works. Securing HUDCO financing on favourable terms and completing the administrative transfer of MahRail to the PWD are the two institutional milestones to watch.

With 80 urban infrastructure works planned and a government commitment to proactive delivery, Maharashtra's level-crossing elimination drive is set to reshape daily commutes across its major cities — and the pace of HUDCO loan sanctions and land acquisition will determine whether first-phase deadlines hold.