Parrikar for more local trains

Margao: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday asked the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) to further help enhance mobility in Goa by increasing frequency of local train services and to undertake double tracking of the railway route in Goa stretch by stretch instead of waiting to do it at one go. The former chief minister of Goa also asked KRCL to introduce flexibility in its RO-RO (roll on roll off) operations by allowing to unload a truck anywhere along the route.This, he said, would, besides increasing KRCL’s revenue, also provide better logistic solutions to entrepreneurs.
Parrikar made these suggestions in the presence of Union minister for Railways, Suresh Prabhu, while speaking at a function held to mark the commencement of a number of projects of the KRCL.
Prabhu laid the foundation stone for multi-modal logistics park at Balli, inaugurated coach intermediate hauling depot at Margao, and Sawantwadi terminal (PHASE-I) by remote, commissioned hand-held devices for issuing platform tickets and ticket checking receipts, and the upgrade of the Mango Pack House at Jamsande, Devgad.
Prabhu, in his brief address, advocated the need of rail and railway bridges to be built simultaneously for the double-tracking project so as to reduce the construction cost. He said he would speak to Nitin Gadkari, minister of road transport and highways, in this regard.
KRCL and the Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) signed an MoU to set up a multi modal logistics park at Balli Railway Station. Concor will be initially investing 30 cr to set up the logistics park on the Konkan railway’s land. The logistics park will be able to handle both domestic and exim container traffic, it was informed. 5,000 square meters of custom-bonded warehousing space is being created and a host of value added services like stuffing, repackaging etc will be available to its users.
“During intermediate overhauling at Margao, coaches will be lifted, bogies will be taken out and replaced by the overhauled bogies transported by road from Hubli carriage workshop, south western railway,” a press note says.