India, Aug. 12 -- The proposed Vasai bypass rail project, a link between the Western Railway and the Konkan Railway, will require 14.18 hectares of mangroves to be cleared. Environmental clearance is currently being processed for this much-delayed project.

The project, a 5.73-km line connecting Naigaon station on the Western Railway and Juchandra station on the Vasai-Diva line, is designed to bypass Vasai Road station and eliminate a major rail bottleneck for long-distance and freight trains. It will allow trains travelling from Mumbai's western suburbs towards the Konkan to directly access the Konkan Railway.

The direct connection between the Western and Konkan routes would eliminate the need for trains to reverse at existing junctions...