MUMBAI: Following the poor response to the Ro-Ro on Konkan Railway, the authorities have identified three new stations—Sawantwadi, Ratnagiri and Sangameshwar—to be brought into the fold. ₹7,700 crore has also been sought from the railway ministry for expansion works on the Konkan line.
On October 15, Konkan Railway, while celebrating its 35th Foundation Day, announced plans to attract more passengers to its train Ro-Ro services, which have met with a lukewarm response ever since they were launched. The first service departed on August 23 from Kolad, Nandgaon Road and Verna with only seven passengers despite an extension of the registration deadline.
The railway authorities had decided to plan future trips based on passenger feedback. Sources said the majority of queries received was for halts at Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi, and the additional halts were thus planned for these places. “Ramps will be created at Sawantwadi, Ratnagiri and Sangameshwar for vehicles to board and deboard the Ro-Ro train,” said Santosh Kumar Jha, chairman and managing director of Konkan Railway. “This is in the initial stages of planning.”
The Ro-Ro train comprises 10-car wagons and two passenger coaches. The service includes a dedicated air-conditioned coach and a second seating coach. The cost of transporting a car is ₹7,875 for the Kolad–Verna route and ₹5,460 for the Kolad–Nandgaon route.
Meanwhile, Konkan Railway authorities said there were no plans to double the existing corridors due to the mountain ranges and steep curvatures on the line that rendered this difficult. They have also sought additional funds of ₹7,700 crore, which they expect to come by March 2026, for improving existing stations, expansion of the Mangalore-Madurai route and overall improvement of rail assets. The problem of poor mobile network will continue, especially inside tunnels, as the authorities do not have any plans of installing mobile towers—these would cost ₹5-7 crore inside each of the 91 tunnels that require them.