PANAJI
The Union Railway Ministry has informed Parliament that a revised wildlife mitigation plan for the crucial 38-km Castlerock-Kulem railway double tracking project has been prepared and the stretch has been taken up for the necessary forest and wildlife clearances.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, the Ministry said that the long-pending Karnataka-Goa railway doubling project continues to face delays due to pending forest and wildlife clearances for the critical Duski-Castlerock-Kulem-Kalem section, even as Rs 2,785 crore has already been spent on the Rs 4,730-crore project.
The Ministry said the 312-km Hospet-Hubli-Londa-Tinaighat-Vasco da Gama doubling project has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 4,730 crore. An outlay of Rs 434 crore has been provided for 2026-27.
While the Hospet-Duski (231 km), Kalem-Madgaon (26 km), and Majorda-Cansaulim (4 km) sections have already been commissioned, work on the Duski-Castlerock-Kulem-Kalem stretch remains held up due to environmental clearances. On the Cansaulim-Vasco section, 18 of the 19 minor bridges and all three station buildings have been completed.
The Railway Ministry said completion of the project will significantly improve the movement of passengers and freight between Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and the rest of the country, besides enhancing logistics efficiency and supporting tourism and industrial activities.
The Ministry added that the timely completion of railway infrastructure projects depends on several factors, including land acquisition, forest clearances, shifting of utilities, statutory approvals, geological conditions and law-and-order issues, all of which influence project timelines and costs.
Approved in the 2010-2011 Railway budget, the Hospet-Londa-Tinaighat-Vasco Da Gama doubling project that runs to a length of 363 km between Karnataka and Goa, is being implemented by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.
