Nerul-Belapur-Kharkopar Line Thrown Open, will boost real estate

After waiting for 21 years, Ulwe residents were finally able to board their very own local train yesterday, as the 12.4-km Nerul-Belapur-Seawoods-Kharkopar suburban railway line was thrown open. Residents only had buses to rely on earlier, and would have to spend a minimum of 30 minutes to get to Belapur station. The sore lack of public transport is why many citizens did not move there despite buying homes. Yesterday's inauguration, by Railway minister Piyush Goyal and CM Devendra Fadnavis, marks the completion of phase 1 of the line, with phase 2 — a 14.3-km stretch from Kharkopar to Uran — set to finish by 2020. The entire 26.7-km Nerul-Belapur-Seawoods-Uran line, once completed, will provide direct access to Uran town, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Greater Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The biggest beneficiaries from this project will be the locals of Ulwe, who only had autorickshaws and buses to rely on until now. The nearest station, Belapur, is at least half an hour away, or more, if there's traffic. Shobha Das, a resident, spends an average of 30 minutes waiting for her bus to work, which often results in her reaching late. She said, "I work in the mall, and cannot spend R40 on rickshaw, so I have to wait for the bus. "People have brought flats in our area, but never shifted here because of the poor transportation facilities. They keep calling me to ask about the progress of the railway work, so that they can come live here." Residents are happy that they not only have better transportation now, but this change is also likely to boost real estate in the vicinity. The new railway line will also help