The Roll-on Roll-off service, a one-of-its-kind in the history of Indian Railway, introduced by the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., would complete 16 years of service on Monday.
Goods vehicles are taken piggyback on specially designed wagons thereby considerably reducing the traffic volumes on NH 17.
Started on January 26, 1999 by KRCL between Kolad (near Mumbai) and Verna in Goa, the facility was extended till Surathkal off Mangaluru from June 15, 2004.
Starting with one rake, KRCL augmented the services with six rakes subsequently. The Ro Ro service is also available between Ankola (Uttara Kannada in Karnataka) and Surathkal for trucks to and from the Hubballi region.
KRCL earned Rs. 53.31 crore in 2014-15 up to December transporting over 40,000 trucks as against Rs. 47.4 crore during the same period in the previous year, said a release from KRCL. The corporation has transported over 4 lakh goods vehicles during the 16 years of Ro Ro’s existence.
Ro Ro has been a win-win situation for the Railways, freight operators as well as for India. A synergic relationship was established between the Railways and the freight operators instead of being competitiors through the service. Ro Ro has two services presently—between Kolad and Verna (417 km) and Kolad and Surathkal (721 km). While trucks are delivered within 12 hours between Kolad-Verna, they are delivered within 22 hours between Kolad-Surathkal, which by road would take at least 24 hours and 40 hours respectively, the release claimed.
