The Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra announced on Sunday, 12 July 2026 that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari jointly inaugurated 4 Road Over Bridges (ROBs), 4 Rail Underpasses (Subways), and 1 Road Under Bridge (RUB) across Maharashtra, developed in partnership by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MahaRail), the Government of Maharashtra, and the Ministry of Railways. The ceremony was held at 2:10 pm in Nagpur.

Project Details

The nine structures span multiple districts and railway corridors. The four Road Over Bridges are located at: Badnera, between Amravati and Badnera Railway Stations; between Chandrapur and Tadali Railway Stations; at LC-112 between Takari and Kirloskarwadi Railway Stations; and at LC-73 between Itwari and Dighori Railway Stations.

The four Rail Underpasses (Subways) are at: LC-117 between Bhilwadi and Nandre Railway Stations; LC-95 between Kherwadi and Odha Railway Stations; Masur, between Masur and Shirravde Railway Stations; and LC-116 at Dongargaon between Gumgaon and Butibori Railway Stations on NH-44. The single Road Under Bridge (RUB) is at LC-1126/1N between Bhandewadi and Itwari Railway Stations.

Context

Level crossings — points where roads intersect railway tracks at grade — have long been identified as among the most accident-prone spots in India's transport network. Replacing them with grade-separated structures such as ROBs and RUBs eliminates the risk of collisions between road vehicles and trains, while also reducing traffic congestion around busy rail corridors.

The Setu Bharatam programme, launched by the central government in 2016, set a national mandate to replace all level crossings on national highways with such structures. Maharashtra has been a consistent participant in successive phases of this initiative, with projects jointly funded by the Ministry of Railways and the state government.

Policy Backdrop

MahaRail — the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation — was incorporated in 2018 as a joint venture between the Government of Maharashtra and Indian Railways to fast-track rail infrastructure projects in the state. It serves as the nodal agency for planning, funding, and executing ROB, RUB, and subway projects, pooling resources from both the state budget and central railway allocations.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who oversees road transport and highways at the national level, has been a prominent advocate for grade-separation projects, particularly in his home region of Vidarbha. His presence at the inauguration underscores the convergence of road and rail policy priorities in these projects.

Stakeholders and Impact

The nine structures are spread across Vidarbha (Amravati, Chandrapur, Nagpur districts) and parts of western Maharashtra (Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur districts — covering the Kirloskarwadi, Bhilwadi, Kherwadi, and Masur locations). Road users, daily commuters, freight transporters, and residents living near the former level crossings stand to benefit directly from improved safety and reduced waiting times.

Senior political and civic figures were present at the event, including Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Minister of State Adv. Ashish Jaiswal, MLA Krishna Khopde, MLA Charansingh Thakur, Nagpur Mayor Neeta Thakre, and Standing Committee Chairman Shivani Dani-Wakhare.

What's Next

Maharashtra has a pipeline of additional ROB and RUB works sanctioned under joint central-state programmes. The pace of delivery on the remaining projects — and any new allocations expected in the next railway budget — will determine how quickly the state can close its level-crossing safety gap. The inauguration of nine structures in a single event signals an intent to accelerate project completions rather than stagger them.