CM Fadnavis announces 'MUMBAI 1', a unified transport card for seamless travel in MMR

`MUMBAI 1', a single card for public transportation in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will be launched soon, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said here.

Speaking at a press conference with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, he said the single card can be used for travelling by Metro, Mono Rail, suburban local trains and public transport buses.

"The architecture of the card will be ready in a month," Fadnavis added.

Vaishnaw said railway works of Rs 1,73,804 crore are underway in Maharashtra, and new works worth Rs 23,778 crore have been sanctioned this year.

As many as 238 new air conditioned trains have been sanctioned for the Mumbai suburban network and their manufacturing will start soon, the railway minister said.

Further, Rs 17,000 crore-worth projects are underway in the city, and this will transform the railway network in the country's financial capital, Vaishnaw added.

The Gondia-Ballarshah railway line in eastern Maharashtra has been approved and it will boost connectivity between Vidarbha and neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Telangana, CM Fadnavis said, adding the share of the Union government in the project will be of Rs 4,019 crore.

The `Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Circuit Train Line which will take tourists through areas where forts belonging to the era of the founder of the Maratha state are located will be launched, Fadnavis announced on this occasion.