Title - B'lore may get new rail service for trucks

The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), which has been saving time, fuel and the possibilities of accidents in the Western Ghats by its land mark service Roll on-Roll off, popularly know as Ro-Ro, is now planning to extend this network in other regions of the country.
The Southern railway officials told DNA that the Southern Railway commercial division was planning to hold talks with the Konkan Railway to extend the Ro-Ro service from Surathkal to different destinations of Kerala and Tamil Nadu using Southern Railway routes. The South Western Railway officials felt that this could also be extended on the Mangalore-Bangalore-Chennai route which would decongest the National Highway 75 between Mangalore and Bangalore via Shiradi.
The KRCL had sent a proposal to the Union railway ministry to examine expansion of the Ro-Ro service to other regions of the country through different regions of Indian Railways.
This unique service was launched in 1998 by the KRCL between Kolad in Maharasthra to Surathkal near Mangalore features fully laden trucks ride piggy back on railway rakes instead of travelling all the way on road from Kalad to Surathkal.
"The Ro-Ro service has become very popular among the fleet owners-users of the service. In the last 13 years (since 1998) we have carried 2,54,731 trucks at an average of 22,000 trucks per year. These trucks otherwise would have used fuel, poured out on the roads and eroded them, risked accidents, loss of men and material, but with the Ro-Ro service the fleet owners and users were assured of safety of their goods, men and vehicles" said Nandu Telang Deputy Chief Manager (Commercial) of the KRCL.
"The KRCL was running five racks of service between Kolad-Verna (Goa), Kolad- Surathkal and Ankola-Surathkal. After the resounding success the KRCL was now building the sixth rack which can take bigger trucks with tandem axels, but more exciting things were happening as we have contributed to saving foreign exchange spent on fuel at a rate of 10 liters of diesel per kilometre we run the rack.
"One can imagine how much we have saved by transporting 2,54,731 trucks for over 721 kilometres per day (between Kolad and Surathkal) for the last 13 years. We did not have even a minor mishap so far. The KRCL has made a profit of over Rs205 crores so far and I am sure the fleet owners have also saved money on fuel and wear and tear of the vehicles," said Sunil Narkar Assistant Commercial manager Madgaon section of Ro-Ro operations.