MUMBAI, Feb. 15 -- The central government has approved the 3rd and 4th rail lines on the Kasara-Manmad corridor, covering 131 km at an investment of Rs.10,154 crore, to further accelerate infrastructure development in the state. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a post on X, said that the "landmark initiative" would "significantly ease daily travel, enhance regional mobility, and deliver meaningful relief to lakhs of commuters across Mumbai, Thane, and Nashik, reinforcing a faster, more connected, and future-ready Maharashtra". The duration of the project is five years. After it is completed, there will be no need for banking engines in the Kasara-Igatpuri section, and this will support the introduction of more passenger trains. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday also approved the rehabilitation and upgradation of the Ghoti-Trimbak (Mokhada)-Jawhar-Manor-Palghar section, a 154.635 km stretch of NH-160A in Maharashtra at a total cost of Rs.3,320.38 crore. A government press note said that a region west of Nashik, around Ambad and Satpur, had industrial estates developed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, and there was huge traffic in this area. Currently, the note added, this traffic moved through Nashik city via NH-848, adding pressure on urban roads. The upgradation of NH-160A will provide an alternate route from these industrial areas via Triambak, bypassing the city and reducing congestion. The note said that vehicles from Mumbai and further south were expected to use Samrudhi Expressway through the interchange at Igatpuri. Then they would travel along NH-848 till Ghoti and use NH-160A to travel to Trimbak and Nashik. From 2028, the route is expected to see over 10,000 cars daily, justifying the need for four lanes. The section of NH-160A extending westward from Trimbak toward Manor and Palghar connects NH-160A to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and onward to the western coastal belt, as well as the tribal areas of Palghar. Though this link at present sees about 4,500 cars daily, once the intermediate-lane is developed into two lanes, the route will facilitate smoother movement of both passengers and cargo. The stretch from Manor to Palghar passes through urban built-up sections with over 12,000 vehicles on the route daily. Therefore, four lanes have been proposed along the route to make the movement of traffic smoother....