The much-awaited funicular railway at Matheran may turn into reality soon as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has floated tenders for the project on BOT (build, operate and transfer) mode.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 100 crore, will cover 1.3 km from Dodhani village, near Panvel, to Maillot Spring Point, near Matheran.

The funicular railway system will be double reversible with two passenger cars and an attached goods trolley. Currently, a narrow-gauge railway line connects Neral and Matheran on the Central Railway's Mumba-Pune route. This line is about 20 km long.

The lower terminal point (LTP), close to Dudhani, is located about 1.3 km beyond the village of Dudhani at an altitude of 260 metre. The upper terminal point (UTP) is at Matheran.

The Dudhani Point will have parking facility for 500 cars.

As of now, travel time on the narrow-gauge railway line connecting Neral and Matheran takes two hours. The road network stretches only up to a point near Matheran from where the commuters either walk or go on horseback to cover the 3-km stretch. The proposed rail system will take about 10 minutes to cover the distance. “Matheran is a popular tourist destination and funicular railway will be an added attraction for tourists. This project will be a landmark for MMRDA and would also boost tourism by improving connectivity to the hill station, one of the most important tourist attractions in the region,” said, Ms Ashwini Bhide, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.

The scope of work includes designing, construction, development, financing, operation and maintenance of the system between Matheran and Dudhani.

Two rakes with capacity of 60 passengers each would be guided by cables along the tracks. The train will pass through the beautiful valleys of Matheran enhancing travel experience.

During non-peak hours and off-season, the rakes will be used for transporting goods uphill, which will of help resident population of the hill station.

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