The Hospet–Vas co railway double-tracking project, set for commission ing, is expected to give Indi an Railways a major push in transporting coal, iron ore and steel while strengthen ing tourist connectivity to Hampi. Yet in Salcete, where railway tracks cut through thickly populated villages, residents brace for longer waits at level crossings and gridlocked roads, with no sign of the long-promised flyovers. Currently, over 70 trains already run daily through the stretch, including 52 passenger services and 17 carrying freight. This trans lates to gates at Seraulim, Majorda, Margao, Davorlim, Sarzora and Nessai being shut more than 50 times a day, disrupting traffic in areas where narrow inter nal roads leave commuters with few options. Locals fear that with coal-laden rakes expected to increase, road closures could become constant.
At Margao’s Comba crossing, considered the city’s choke point, traffic comes to a standstill near ly 70 times daily, stalling movement to the western part of town. An underpass built 15 years ago has prov en grossly inadequate for the growing vehicle flow. The crossing is also Mar gao’s education hub, used daily by thousands of stu dents and teachers. Though Margao MLA and the new ly-elected Minister Digam bar Kamat last year sought two projects to ease pres sure, only the Victor Hospi tal–La Flor flyover has been approved. The fate of Com ba remains uncertain, even though experts warn that a flyover there would take at least two years to complete. Elsewhere, earlier at tempts at easing traffic have ended in failure. At Seraulim, an underpass constructed near the tracks remains waterlogged for most of the year, forcing motorists back to the con gested level crossing.
The village gram sabha has repeatedly passed resolu tions demanding a flyover, but no action has followed. At Davorlim, the hard ships forced the issue into Parliament when Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Tana vade raised it, prompting him and Navelim MLA Ul has Tuenkar to conduct a site visit. But despite for mer Union Minister Suresh Prabhu laying a foundation stone nearly a decade ago, the flyover stalled over land acquisition problems. At Nessai, there is at least a faint prospect of relief, with South Western Rail way initiating a proposal for a flyover. But the absence of timelines has left residents unconvinced that work will begin anytime soon. The irony is that the Mar gao–Majorda section was already double-tracked under the Konkan Rail way, saving Railways the expense of fresh works. Despite this, neither the State nor Railways pushed to use the cost advantage to fund flyovers. A cost-shar ing plan once suggested by Konkan Railway to build flyovers at Margao and Ser aulim has been lost in bu reaucratic files.
Environmentalists contin ue to question the broader ecological impact of the dou bling, especially with coal transportation through Goa set to rise. But for daily com muters in Salcete, the imme diate concern is not ecologi cal fallout but the prospect of spending hours at shut rail way gates. Unless supporting infrastructure is urgently taken up, residents warn that “progress” could mean being stranded at crossings dozens of times a day