Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) is an Indian
public sector undertaking
A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...
which operates
Konkan Railway
The Konkan Railway (abbreviated KR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India with its headquarters at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The first passenger train ran on Konkan railway tracks on 20 March 1993, between Udupi and ...
and also undertakes other railway-related projects. It is wholly-owned by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
under the administrative control of the
Ministry of Railways
A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructur ...
and headquartered at
CBD Belapur
The Central Business District of Belapur (C.B.D Belapur) is a node of Navi Mumbai. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation is headquartered in Belapur. The Reserve Bank of India maintains a branch office at CBD Belapur. This area is one of the ...
in
Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai (), is a planned city situated on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent, located in the Konkan division of Maharashtra state, on the mainland of India.
Navi Mumbai is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The city is ...
. The railway (railroad) route of KRCL covers the coastal districts of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
,
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
and
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
states of India.
The company started its full operations of trains on 26 January 1998. The first passenger train which ran on Konkan railway tracks on 20 March 1993 between
Udupi
Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road.
...
and
Mangalore
Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...
. Konkan Railway Corporation is at the forefront of research and development of new technologies and concepts for Indian
railways
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
. During its initial years of operations in the mountainous Konkan region, a spate of accidents prompted Konkan Railway to investigate new technologies. The anti-collision devices, the Sky Bus and
RORO
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their o ...
are a few of Konkan Railway's innovations.
RORO
RORO
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their o ...
means Roll-on/roll-off, where loaded trucks are directly carried by railway wagons to their destination. The first ever RO-RO service in India was run by Konkan Railway. Konkan Railway passes through tough terrains of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. There is NH-66 passing through same route. Truck drivers find it extremely difficult to drive loaded trucks through
ghats
Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped hills with valleys (ghati in Hindi), such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of ...
, undulating surfaces, narrow roads and poor road and weather conditions. The KRC came with concept of RORO, where loaded trucks are moved on wagons and are travelled by train. This has helped in saving fuel, decrease in wear and tear of lorries (trucks), relief to drivers of driving in extreme conditions, and faster arrival of the trucks to destination. This also helps decrease road congestion and pollution. This concept has been beneficial for both truck operators and KRCL.
Railway stations in Konkan Railway route
This is the partial list of railway stations coming under the jurisdiction of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited. The list of railway (railroad) stations is from the South to the North direction. Thokur,
Surathkal railway station
Surathkal railway station is one of the main railway stations of Mangalore city along with Mangalore Central railway station and Mangalore Junction railway station and is located in north Mangaluru. Twenty-two trains stop here. KRCL operates RO- ...
, Mulki, Padubidre, Nandikoor, Innanje, Udupi, Barkur, Kundapura, Senapura, Bijoor, Byndoor, Shiroor, Bhatkal, Chitrapur, Murudeshwar, Manki, Honnavara, Kumta, Gokarna Road, Ankola, Harawada, Karwar, Asnoti, Lolem, Cancona, Balli, Madgaon, Suravali, Majorda, Verna, Karmali, Thivim, Pernem, Madure, Sawantwadi Road, Zarap, Kudal, Sindudurg, Kankavali, Nandgaon Road, Vaibhavwadi Road, Kharepatan, Rajapur Road, Saundal, Vilavade, Veravali, Adavali, Nivasar, Ratnagiri, Bhoke, Ukshi, Sangameshwar, Kadavi, Aravali, Savrada, Kamathe, Chiplun, Anjani, Khed, Kalambani Budruk, Diwankhawti, Vinhere, Karanjadi, Sape Wamne, Veer, Goregaon Road, Mangaon, Indapur and Kolad. Most of the long distance trains carrying passengers have a stop or halt in at least one place of each district of states through which particular train runs.
Other Projects
Konkan Railway Corporation Limited(KRCL) executes other projects for the government of India and state governments. It is one of the contractor for Udampur- Sringar- Baramulla Rail link Project (USBRL) assigned to built a tunnel in that project. KRCL has been selected to prepare Detailed Project Report(DPR) by Kerala state government to built a tunnel to ease traffic congestion on Wayanad- Kozhikode road.
Konkan Railways has played a major role in Construction & Design of
Chenab Bridge
The Chenab Rail Bridge is a steel and concrete arch bridge between Bakkal and Kauri and just 42 km from main Reasi town in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The bridge spans the Chenab River at a height of above the river, mak ...
.
Konkan Railway Corporation Limited(KRCL) completed doubling of tracks from Roha railway station to Veer railway station and
Matsyagandha Express
The 12619/20 Matsyagandha Superfast Express is a daily Superfast Express train running between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai) and Mangaluru Central. The train was introduced on 1 May 1998 as Mangalore-Kurla Express. The Matsyagandha Expres ...
train(02619) became first train to travel in down ( LTT to Mangaluru) route of doubled track from Roha to Veer on 30 August 19.35 hours.
See also
*
Konkan Railway
The Konkan Railway (abbreviated KR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India with its headquarters at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The first passenger train ran on Konkan railway tracks on 20 March 1993, between Udupi and ...
Intermodal freight transport
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation (e.g., rail, ship, aircraft, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing ...
*
Modalohr
The Lohr Railway System or Modalohr System (french: Système Modalohr) uses special railway wagons of a type known as piggyback wagons, to carry standard road semi-trailers on the European rail network.Piggy-back
*
Roadrailer
A RoadRailer is a trailer or semi-trailer that can be hauled on roads by a tractor unit and then by way of a fifth wheel coupling, operate in a unit train on railway lines. The RoadRailer system allows trailers to be pulled by locomotives without ...
*
Rolling highway
In rail transportation, a rolling highway or rolling road is a form of combined transport involving the conveying of road trucks by rail, referred to as Ro-La trains. The concept is a form of piggyback transportation.
The technical challeng ...