Team Herald
VASCO: Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that Indian Railways was committed to providing modern amenities to Goa and was trying to bring the luxurious Maharaja Express to boost the State’s tourism industry.
He added, “The Indian Railways is also preparing a comprehensive strategy programme for improving safety, quality, modernization of railways and up-gradation of services. Under it, we will shortly take a call to start a special monsoon train service from Delhi to Goa via Mumbai so that Goa, which has a unique identity worldwide, gets more tourists even during the monsoons.”
Prabhu was speaking after the inauguration of Vasco’s renovated railway station building, the new railway community hall at Vasco, and upgraded passenger amenities at Tivim Railway Station (KRCL) on Saturday. He had also laid the foundation stone of a holiday home in Margao for officers and staff of Indian Railways.
“The idea behind introducing a special holiday train to Goa from Delhi is purely because we want more tourists to visit Goa, which is facing a shortfall in international tourists this year. Also, I was looking to extend the services of Maharajas Express to Goa so that Goa can get high-spending tourists even by trains,” said Prabhu.
MP Narendra Sawaikar said that there was a demand to start trains to a few religious destinations in Goa. He added, “Although Goa is getting good support from the railways under the NDA government at the centre, there are few issues including rail over-bridges at many places in South Goa. Besides that, there are increasing demands for Vasco-Kanyakumari, Vasco-Tirupati train services. Hopefully the people’s demands will soon become reality as assured by the railway minister.”
DyCM Francis D’Souza said that the UPA government had neglected Goa, but the railway department at the Centre was now giving the state special attention.
