Contract was awarded for doubling of tracks on the 45km stretch between Roha and Veer.
There is good news for thousands of passengers who travel on trains on the Konkan Railway (KR). KR has awarded the contract for doubling of tracks on the 45km stretch between Roha and Veer. The doubling, a small bit of the 741 km route that KR operates from Roha to Thokur near Mangalore, is expected to start the process of enhancing the capacity of one of the country's most-congested railway routes.
"Some of the works that are possible in the monsoon are being done. However, work in full swing will start only after the rains," confirmed Sanjay Gupta, chairman-managing director of KR. He added that the work is expected to cost around Rs 300 crore.
Currently, KR, which runs trains leaving from Mumbai towards the south, especially coastal Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala routes, is severely hampered by the fact that it runs trains in either directions on just one track. This bi-directional operation mechanism results in a situation where a train running late delays other trains running on time because they need to reach designated stations to pass each other. In case one train is late, the other needs to wait till the former arrives and the passing is made safely at the designated station.
While KR ideally would like to double its entire 741 km stretch in one go, the fact that the line has 91 tunnels — the size of which will have to be replicated to accommodate a second line — is making it an expensive proposition. The railway ministry has sanctioned a Rs 1,500 crore plan to double the route on certain stretches so that train efficiency and punctuality, currently standing at 92%, can be improved. "If we get additional tracks on some stretches, the time taken for trains to pass each other at designated stations can be improved upon, which speeds up the route itself," said an official.
Currently, KR runs about 16,000 passenger trains and 6,000-odd goods trains on its line every year, with passenger ticket earnings making 55% of its total revenues.
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