It has been a week since the bookings for the country's first-of-its-kind private car transport Ro-Ro train service between Maharashtra and Goa began. However, there has been a lukewarm response from citizens. As of Sunday, July 27, Konkan Railway officials had received only 38 calls inquiring about it, out of which only one person had booked for the journey starting from Kolad on August 23.
The railway aims to bring a solution to the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday rush along the Konkan corridor.
Konkan Railway (KR) officials said that in case of insufficient bookings (less than 16 cars), the trip will be cancelled and the registration fee will be refunded.
The Ro-Ro, which can accommodate 40 cars per trip, is planned to run non-stop from Kolad in Maharashtra to Verna in Goa.
Just before the Ganpati festival, the Konkan route becomes extremely congested for the railways. As the railways runs regular and special trains with more coaches than their capacity.
Sources in the railways said that most of the queries they received were about whether the Ro-Ro stopped at important stations like Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi. People travel to their hometowns to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in large numbers. However, since there are no facilities available at these stations for loading and unloading trains, no halts will be allowed, railway officials said.
The Ro-Ro facility is proposed to be operated on alternate days in each direction till September 11. Bookings for the service, which will start from Kolad on August 23 and Verna on August 24, will close on August 13.
Railway passenger associations fear that Ro-Ro special trains will be run on a space-wise basis. More Ganpati special trains may be run instead.
Currently, Central Railway has announced 250 special trains and Western Railway will run 44 special trains for the festival.
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