CR officially renames Usmanabad station in Maharashtra as Dharashiv

The Usmanabad (Osmanabad) railway station in central Maharashtra has been renamed as `Dharashiv`, Central Railway officials said on Friday, reported the PTI.

The station previously known as Usmanabad, with the station code UMD, has now been officially renamed Dharashiv, with the new station code DRSV, the Central Railway said in a release, according to the PTI.

The Maharashtra government has already changed the name of Osmanabad city and district (locally pronounced as `Usmanabad`) as Dharashiv and the proposal to change the name of the station was pending with the railways, as per the PTI.

"The new station name and code have been approved by the Indian Railways Conference Association," the release stated.

To implement the name change, the Mumbai Passenger Reservation System (PRS) will be temporarily shut down from 11:45 pm to 01:30 am on June 1, 2025.

Osmanabad/Usmanabad was named for a 20th century ruler of the princely state of Hyderabad. Dharashiv is the name of an 8th century cave complex in the area, the news agency reported.

Centre approves Rs 3,399 crore rail projects in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Central government on Wednesday approved two major railway multitracking projects worth Rs 3399 crore in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, an official statement said.

The decision was taken at the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. on May 28.

An official statement said that the decision is aimed at improving passenger and freight transport across the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The new projects are part of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity. It will include the following:

- Ratlam–Nagda 3rd and 4th Line

- Wardha–Balharshah 4th Line

The total cost is estimated at around Rs 3,399 crore and both projects are expected to be completed by the financial year 2029–30.

The proposed multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approx. 784 villages, which are having a population of  about 19.74 lakh.

The construction work will generate around 74 lakh human-days of direct employment, creating job opportunities and supporting local economies.

By shifting more cargo from road to rail, the projects will help save about 20 crore litres of oil and cut down 99 crore kilograms of CO2 emissions, which is equal to planting 4 crore trees.

(with PTI inputs)