First ever double-decker Shatabdi on Goa-Mumbai route: Prabhu

Panaji: Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Friday announced the doubling of the Konkan Railway track and its electrification between Roha in Maharashtra to Mangaluru in Karnataka via Goa. Pointing at frequent accidents on the Goa-Mumbai highways, Parsekar further stated that the Shatabdi Express will reduce the worry of possible accidents on the route. “I don’t think there are any double-decker Shatabdi trains”, Prabhu said. “This would become the first-ever double decker Shatabdi”, Prabhu said on the sidelines of an event at the Goa University on Friday.

Summary: During the function, Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik demanded that the railway minister start a Goa-Tirupati train.

Residents of Goa seeking Rajdhani luxury train services have to rely on the Trivandrum Rajdhani which passes through Goa and makes a halt at Margao in South Goa.

Around the strategies for doubling the Mumbai Goa-Konkan railway line stated that the only line course was overwhelmed and required doubling.

“Konkan Railway has been a single track since its inception”. He also announced that “a first-of-its-kind in India” double-decker AC Shatabdi train from Goa to Mumbai will commence shortly, while a Delhi-Goa Rajdhani Express and a new train for tourists during the tourism season will also be introduced. Even a holiday train could be operated by IRCTC to benefit Goa’s economy, he said.

There is a proposal to run the train between Mumbai and Goa to cater to the growing demand by tourists, the official said.

The Konkan Railway Corporation is expected to raise the money through loans from the World Bank, Japan worldwide Development Agency, other financial institutions as well as by using the IPO route. “We need multiple tracks because it is very hard 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. “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.