MARGAO
The South Western Railway is racing against time to complete the track doubling project. The weekend saw the successful speed trials on the newly-laid 15.6 km double track between Sanvordem-Margao and the SWR’s focus is now on the Sanvordem-Kalem stretch and not to mention the Majorda-Vasco section.
Track-doubling may not be an issue along the Margao section, where the Konkan railway’s double line is already in place and the SWR need not lay another track, saving crores of rupees.
Madgavkars, however, have a moot question for the Railways as well as for the powers that be “ will the Railways put in place a flyover as a permanent solution to tide over the traffic bottlenecks at the Comba railway crossing since the track doubling will only increase the frequency of trains running on the tracks, necessitating closure of the crossing passage in the future.
Both SWR officials and their Konkan Railway counterparts admit in private that the frequency of trains will increase with the introduction of additional freight and passenger trains. And, they also admit that a time may come when the railway crossing may be closed permanently.
Consider this. The SWR through the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has put in place as many as three underpasses along the Sanvordem-Margao route. The SWR has also started work on two road over bridges at Chandor and Sao Jose de Areal, giving indications that railway crossings in these two villages may be shut in the future.
Incidentally, the Margao section falls outside the purview of the track doubling project, for the simple reason that a double track laid by the Konkan railway is in place. This section, however, will play host to the new freight and passenger rail traffic after the commissioning of the track doubling project.
A senior Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd official conceded that a road over bridge (ROB) or a flyover will be a dire necessity at the Comba railway crossing, given the projected increase in rail traffic. The Official, however, hastened to add that the Margao-Majorda section falls in the domain of the Konkan Railway Corporation. “It is a fact that rail traffic will increase tremendously after the track doubling project becomes a reality. But, the SWR cannot take up the work of ROB or flyover on the Margao section for the reason that the section falls in the KRC jurisdiction”, the official added.
Says an educationist: “The government or Railways should plan the ROB or flyover at the Comba railway crossing right now, considering that Comba is the commercial capital’s educational hub, with education centres imparting education, right from KG to PG (Kindergarten to Post-graduation) and where thousands of students are left with no option than to cross the tracks or make to the other side via the subway”.
The Konkan Railway Corporation had around a decade ago proposed to the Goa government building flyovers at Comba and Majorda and others on cost sharing basis, but in vain.
Comba Subway. Santosh Mirajkar
Subway is not the solution, what’s
needed is flyover: Railway experts
MARGAO: Will the Comba subway, which remains waterlogged during heavy rains every monsoon, is an answer to the increasing volume of vehicular traffic in the future?
Certainly not, though the subway has brought relief to hapless commuters, especially the student community, when the railway crossing is close for traffic several times a day.
Even railway officials in private admit that the subway or underpass cannot replace the role of a flyover or a road over bridge at Comba.
In fact, officials say a road over bridge at the Comba railway crossing is now a dire need after the commissioning of the ring road, connecting Comba to the Colva-Margao road.
“We have noticed that traffic from the Salcete coast, coming from Khareband bridge, take the ring road to head to Panaji. This has resulted in traffic bottlenecks in the Comba area, especially near the railway crossing and subway, when the railway crossing is closed for traffic”, informed a citizen.
He added: “If the area is witness to traffic bottlenecks in 2021, just image a situation when the track doubling project is commissioned and additional freight and passenger trains run on the tracks in the near future”.
THE TALE TRACK
We need a road over bridge near the railway crossing at Comba. But, we will have to conduct an inspection and demarcate the area to find out the land availability.
I had got the KRC to construct the Margao flyover in railway property for want of land for the bridge. At Comba, there are private properties along the track, including the property belonging to the Devasthan. I will soon ask the Railways inspect the place.
Digambar Kamat, Margao MLA
The KRC had around a decade ago offered to build flyovers at Comba-Margao, Seraulim, Majorda and other places on 50 per cent cost sharing basis. The proposal was made to the Goa government long ago and the flyovers could not take shape for want of response from the local government.
It is a fact that rail traffic will increase in the future when the SWR introduces additional freight and passenger trains after the completion of the track doubling project.
Baban Ghatge, KRC Senior officer
