The long-awaited survey for the new Belagavi-Kolhapur railway line has commenced in Sankeshwar. This railway line forms a critical part of the Dharwad-Kittur-Belagavi corridor, extending to Sankeshwar and Kolhapur.
Work on the Belagavi-Dharwad-Kittur section is already underway. Meanwhile, historical surveys, including the 2012 Central Railway (Pune) survey of the 191-kilometer Karad-Belagavi route and two separate South Western Railway (Hubli) surveys for Pachhapur-Sankeshwar-Kolhapur, had laid the groundwork for this ambitious project.
Recently, the Railway Board approved a high-speed route with a proposed operational speed of 160 km/h (broad gauge). To facilitate this, ₹55 lakh has been sanctioned for the Primary Engineering and Traffic (PET) survey for the Kolhapur segment (85 kilometers) via Paraknatti-Sankeshwar. Monarch Surveyors and Engineering Consultants Ltd., Pune, is spearheading the current survey efforts.
In Sankeshwar, drone cameras are being deployed to map areas from Nipani to the Kangala KIDB border. Key survey locations include Lakshmi Hargapur Lake, Chorge and Pimple land drains near Ankle, Nidsoshi Road in Sankeshwar, Swastik Gas, Gomda Ghatge Mala, Housing Colony, Rawandi Shet on Kamatanur Road, Kamatanur Gate, and Nerli Dargah via Hukkeri. Surveyors are marking sites with red and white stripes and collecting data on drain dimensions and water flow patterns intersecting the railway alignment.
This project is expected to significantly boost transportation efficiency and economic growth for Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Karnataka Government has pledged to provide free land and contribute 50% of the project’s funding. Once the survey report is finalized, the Railway Board and Central Government will decide on the project’s implementation.
The Belagavi-Kolhapur railway line is poised to become a vital link between the two states, accelerating development and strengthening inter-state connectivity.