Railway Minister flags-off new Passenger Train to ply between Madgaon-Ratnagiri

‘Indian railways will work with KRC to boost Goa’s tourism’: Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Railways

Madgaon: Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu flagged off the new train 50101/50102 Margao-Ratnagiri-Margao passenger on Tuesday. The train is likely to benefit people travelling from Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts to Goa regularly for work and business.  Dignitaries who graced the occasion were Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa – Shri Laxmikant Parsekar, Shri Narendra Sawaikar – Hon’ble MP, Shri Digambar Kamat – Hon’ble MLA, Shri Vijay Sardessai – Hon’ble MLA, and Shri Gonzaco Rebello – Hon’ble Chairperson Margaon Municipal Council.

During its regular run, the passenger train will depart from Margao at 7.10pm and reach Ratnagiri at 12.15am the next day. It will depart from Ratnagiri at 3.20am and reach Margao at 9.55am. The train will have 18 coaches.

Prabhu also inaugurated enhanced passenger amenities at Margao railway station including Wi-Fi facility, food court, escalator, etc.

During the event, Suresh Prabhu said that the Indian Railways will work together with the Goa government to boost the state’s tourism industry, even as he stressed that Konkan Railway and the Indian Railways will work in tandem to provide better amenities to the travelling public.

Speaking after flagging of the inaugural run of the Margao-Ratnagiri passenger train at Margao, Prabhu assured that the Indian Railways will provide the backbone to Goa’s trade and commerce with a view to ensuring that Goa remains an important commercial hub.

“The food court will cater to the multitude of passengers who are served by the station everyday. The food court will serve different kinds of cuisines from multiple stalls with seating capacity for 150 passengers at a time. KRCL plans to introduce both renowned brands and local products for sale in the food court,” a press note by KRC stated.

The Wi-Fi facility will help facilitate seamless internet connectivity. The user will get the service free for the first 30 minutes. The system is designed to cater to Wi-Fi users on platform no. 1 and 2 at the station.

“The escalator from platform No.1 of the station to the foot-overbridge will provide ease to the differently-abled persons, senior citizens and other passengers. Improvements to the other passenger amenities include additional loop lines, new platforms, direct access to the city from the new platform, resurfacing of platforms, increasing covered shelters, signage, video walls, relocating and redesigning of parking areas etc,” the note adds.

“We will do whatever is necessary to boost tourism in Goa. Services of the IRCTC can be used to bring more tourists from abroad to Goa,” Prabhu said, adding that he would meet Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday and discuss “how Goa government and the Indian Railways can work together to offer better services for Goa.”

Responding to the demand made by the Margao MLA Digambar Kamat and South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar earlier to develop the Margao railway station into a world-class station, Prabhu said that any railway station along the Konkan Railway route can be offered to any developer on a PPP mode to develop it into a world-class station.

He acknowledged the idea that the Margao railway station can be expanded into a business centre.

Stating that many of the railway stations will be upgraded by improving passenger amenities, Prabhu said that it would also be the endeavour of the Konkan Railway to bring about socio-economic transformation of the region.

Replying to queries posed by press persons, Prabhu said that the safety audit done by the KRC of the Konkan Railway track has put to rest any apprehensions about the safety of the track.

Chairman and managing director of Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC), B P Tayal said that the electrification and double-tracking of the KR route will be very soon approved by the railway board. Stating that KRC will raise funds from World Bank and JAICA for the twin projects, Tayal said KRC is likely to get 500 to 1,000 crore from the Indian Railways to start the activities. While the double tracking project is estimated to cost 10,500 crore, the cost of electrification of the lines is estimated at 720 crore, Tayal said.

He also informed that three new stations – Sarzora, Mayem and Nuvem – will be set up in Goa soon.

Sawaikar, addressing the gathering earlier, urged Prabhu to ensure that the double decker train introduced on the KR route last year is re-introduced.