the goan I network
PANAJI
This was informed in a press conference called by Sanjay Gupta, chairman & managing director (CMD) of Konkan Railway.
Gupta said, “We have land in Balli, which has access to the national highway-17. After the terminal comes up, people will be able to load/unload containers and there will also be space to stock these.”
It will take Rs 30 crore to build the container terminal, which will be entirely paid by CONCOR. This will be the first time that a container terminal will be connected to a railway line in Goa.
A lot of cargo from Goan industries is sent through road to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), which increases pollution and also the risk of accident. Such issues can be taken care of by moving the containers through rail.
Gupta also informed that construction of container terminal is likely to start as soon the monsoon ends.
Konkan Railway recorded a turnover of Rs 1,500 crore in financial year 2015-16 and a net profit of Rs 120 crore. At a time when Indian Railways had to struggle with low growth in freight, Konkan Railway reported a massive 40%-50% growth in freight related earnings.
Speaking on what led to this growth, Gupta said, “In 2015-16, we got food-grains freight meant to be sent to Kerala, which earlier used to take a different rail route.” Gupta even informed that Konkan Railway has submitted a project report to Goa government on a railway line from proposed site of Mopa airport to Pernem. Meanwhile, KR has sanctioned the work for track doubling of the 46 kilometers stretch between Roha and Veer in Maharashtra. Tendering is already in progress for this work.
As of now, it is not clear when track doubling will happen in Goa. But Gupta informed that Verna-Majorda and Margao-Balli routes will be taken up for track doubling some time in future.
