Konkan Railway track doubling to start from November 8

Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu on Friday said the doubling of the Konkan Railway network, which will be carried out in phases, would begin from November 8. The formal launch would be done at Roha in Western Maharashtra, the northern tip of Konkan network, Mr. Prabhu said after laying the foundation stone for George Fernandes Institute Tunnel Technology being established by KRCL here. The Minister said electrification of the Konkan network would be undertaken simultaneously with doubling between Roha and Thokur in Karnataka. “Konkan Railway has been a single track since its inception. We need multiple tracks because it is very difficult to move freight traffic as well as passengers on a single track,” Mr. Prabhu said and asserted that that doubling of the track would also help KRCL earn more revenue. He was responding to a demand for double-track in Goa sector by Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar earlier. KRCL chairman and managing director Banu Prakash Tayal said KRCL was planning to raise the funds required for doubling and electrification—about Rs. 10,500 crore—through external as well internal sources. Various options, including the Initial Public Offering route, the World Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency and other financial institutions, were being explored, he said. Mr. Prabhu said the Konkan Railway was looking to electrify the entire length of the route (736 km), in order to save costs as well as preserve the environment along the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats route. “The huge amount of diesel used will continue to damage the environment and it (diesel) is also expensive. It has been proved in many places that electrification payback period is very short,” Mr. Prabhu said adding that KRCL would also try its best to tap solar and wind generated electricity for operational purposes.   The Hindu