Konkan Railway launched its Ro-Ro (Roll-on/Roll-off) car service for this Ganesh festival. However, bookings for the service are yet to pace up. As of now, only one person has booked the trip. As per the reports,
Railway officials have only received 38 calls inquiring about the service.
The Ro-Ro facility is proposed to be operated on alternate days in each direction until September 11. The bookings for the service will close on August 13 for the route that commences from August 23 from Kolad and August 24 from Verna.
A maximum of three people per car will be allowed to travel in the attached 3AC coach on paying the prescribed fare. Freight charges per car will be Rs 7875 in each direction, with 40 cars per train.
The train journey will take about 12 hours, halving the time taken by road (20 to 22 hours, depending on traffic).
As per the officials, if there are less than 16 cars bookings by August 13, it will be cancelled and the registration fee will be refunded.
Ro-Ro Service Details
– Route: Non-stop journey from Kolad (Maharashtra) to Verna (Goa).
– Timings: The train ride takes around 12 hours. But passengers must check in at least 3 hours earlier to allow time for loading their vehicles.
– Pricing:
– Rs 7,875 per vehicle
– Rs 935 per passenger in the AC coach
– Rs 190 per passenger in second-class seating
– A maximum of 3 passengers can travel with each car
Just before the Ganpati festival, the Konkan route becomes extremely busy for the railways, and the Ro-Ro service is government’s alternative to the rush.
