New Delhi, June 18 -- Indian Railways has approved a Rs 172 crore project for the construction of the 3.7-km Somtane-Chikhli Chord Line on Central Railway, aimed at improving freight movement and reducing congestion at the busy Panvel Junction in Maharashtra.

The new rail link will connect Chikhli on the Karjat route with Somtane on the Roha route, enabling direct movement between the two corridors without trains entering Panvel Junction or undergoing engine reversal.

The project is expected to address a key operational bottleneck on routes serving Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA/JNPT), which handles nearly 60 per cent of India's container traffic.

At present, freight trains moving between the Karjat, Jasai and Roha corridors are...