TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The state could soon have a double decker train plying between Goa and Mumbai if trials go according to plan, mitigating the rush and number of trains especially during holiday season.
According to plans being thought out by the Central Railways, which will ultimately run the service, the train could be put to good use on the lucrative route.
Speaking to Herald, PRO for Konkan Railway Baban Ghatge confirmed the development.
“Trials are set to commence and a major part of the route is that of the Konkan Railway, including the major tunnels that are the primary concern for a double decker train,” Ghatge said.
A double-decker coach, which will be sent from Bhopal which comes under the Central Railways will conduct the trials which could begin as early as next week.
The train is being made available since the double decker air-conditioned train was inaugurated to run between Bhopal and Indore received very poor response, on some occasions running as little as eight passengers per trip.
The railways now want to use this train on the Goa-Mumbai route which is known to always run full, making tickets hard to come by during normal days not to mention season and festival time, when the railways introduce additional trains which also go packed to capacity.
The lack of availability of a late night train to Mumbai or that of tickets in general is a key market that the railways could exploit that is currently being milked by the luxury bus operators by charging exorbitant fares in season.
Ghatge said that the timing and the introduction of trains and their frequency was not in the hands of the Konkan Railways but was decided nationally by the railways.
Once the coach arrives, attempts will be made to check several parameters to ascertain if plying a double-decker, air-conditioned train is technically feasible on the Central and Konkan Railways.
Double-decker coaches are higher than normal coaches, and hence the testing will need to check authorities to check if the coaches will be able to clear several tunnels within the specified regulations of the railways.
