Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu has reportedly assured Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. that its proposal for the electrification of the Konkan route, from Roha in Maharashtra to Thokur in Karnataka, would be cleared by the Ministry.
His assurance came during his meeting with the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. Chairman and Managing Director B.P. Tayal on his first visit to Mumbai after assuming the office, said a release from the Konkan Railway. Mr. Prabhu also directed the corporation to prepare a long-term development plan and submit the same to the Ministry.
As an immediate measure, Mr. Prabhu asked the corporation to concentrate on enhancing passenger amenities at stations as well as trains on its network. During the meeting, the Minister had a detailed discussion about the working of the corporation and its plans. The Minister also reviewed the safety aspects with recent accidents on the Konkan network and asked Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. to prepare an action plan to prevent such accidents.
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Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. claimed that the they appear to be heading towards better days with the Minister taking a keen interest in its functioning.
Besides the electrification of the route, the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. has also proposed to the Ministry for doubling the track to enhance its carrying capacity. It has also asked the Ministry to include the Mangaluru area from Ullal onward and comprising Mangalore Central, Mangalore Junction and New Mangalore Port Trust, in its jurisdiction as originally envisaged in the detailed project report for the formation of the corporation.