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News18
29-07-2025
- Automotive
- News18
India's 1st Ro-Ro To Goa Let's You Travel On Train With Your Car! But It May Get Cancelled
Last Updated: India's first Ro-Ro train for cars, running from Maharashtra to Goa, has seen very low bookings ahead of its August 23 launch. India's first Ro-Ro (Roll-On Roll-Off) train for private cars is set to run between Kolad in Maharashtra and Verna in Goa. Nevertheless, since bookings opened a week ago, public interest has been very low. According to the Konkan Railway (KR), only one person has confirmed a booking so far, out of 38 total inquiries. The train service is scheduled to start on August 23 from Kolad, but if it doesn't receive at least 16 car bookings by August 13, it will be cancelled and the registration fee will be refunded. Why the Response Has Been So Low As per the Hindustan Times, the service was launched ahead of the busy Ganeshotsav season. During this time, the Konkan route is already crowded with regular and special trains, some running over capacity. Many passengers inquired whether the Ro-Ro train would stop at key stations like Ratnagiri or Sawantwadi. However, Konkan Railway clarified that it won't halt at these stations due to the lack of car loading and unloading facilities. The Ro-Ro train can carry up to 40 cars per trip. But even with its novelty, people don't seem very interested, mainly due to high prices, limited flexibility and no major time savings. – 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 The train will run on alternate days in both directions until September 11. The return service from Verna is scheduled to begin on August 24. Concerns From Rail Associations and Experts Hindustan Times states that passenger associations and travel groups have raised concerns about the service's timing and cost. They feel it might take away space and manpower needed to run Ganpati special trains during this festival season. 'Also, the high cost of Rs 7,875 per vehicle plus individual passenger fares is not affordable for most families," said Akshay Mahapadi, secretary of the Akhand Konkan Railway Pravasi Seva Samiti, as quoted by Hindustan Times. 'The concept is innovative, but its timing is highly unsuitable. They should have announced this around December for the New Year's celebration," he added. Meanwhile, rail authorities say running this service would need a full train crew, including a loco pilot, assistants, and train managers, as well as a dedicated route, making it harder to accommodate the rush of festival travellers. Why The Ro-Ro Service Was Introduced Konkan Railway already operates Ro-Ro trains that carry loaded trucks between Kolad and Tumkur (near Mangaluru). Encouraged by that model, the railways planned this service for private car owners, especially those travelling to Goa or the Konkan region for vacations or holidays. The idea is to reduce road traffic, pollution, and travel fatigue by offering a relaxed train journey while your car travels with you. But with just one confirmed booking and no halts at key stations, the pilot project is off to a rocky start. What Lies Ahead The Konkan Railway will monitor bookings until August 13. If enough people don't sign up (minimum 16 vehicles), the train may not run at all. While the concept of travelling with your car by train is exciting, many feel the timing, pricing, and lack of flexibility have made it difficult for average passengers to get on board. view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 15:51 IST News mumbai-news India's 1st Ro-Ro To Goa Let's You Travel On Train With Your Car! But It May Get Cancelled | Why Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
29-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Launched with much fanfare, Konkan Railway's Ro-Ro to Goa has just one booking in one week
MUMBAI: It has been a week since booking began for the country's first Ro-Ro train service, which will ferry cars, between Maharashtra and Goa. However, there has been scarce interest evinced by citizens, as until Sunday, the Konkan Railway authorities received only 38 calls inquiring about this, of which only one person booked a seat for the journey that begins on August 23 from Kolad. The Konkan Railway (KR) authorities said that in the event of insufficient bookings (fewer than 16 cars), the trip would be cancelled and registration fees refunded. Representative picture of Roll-on Roll-off (RO-RO) service (HT Archives) (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO) The Ro-Ro, which can accommodate 40 cars per trip, has been planned as a non-stop run from Kolad in Maharashtra to Verna in Goa. Just before the Ganpati festival, the Konkan route becomes extremely busy for the railways, which operate regular and special trains with coaches exceeding their carrying capacity. Sources in the railways said that the majority of the queries they had received pertained to whether the Ro-Ro halted at important stations like Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi, which see a high footfall of people going to their hometowns to celebrate Ganeshotsav. However, since there are no facilities available for loading and unloading cars at these stations, there will be no halts, said railway officials. 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. Akshay Mahapadi, secretary of the Akhand Konkan Railway Pravasi Seva Samiti, Maharashtra, pointed out that the 12-hour train journey offered no time saving over the 10 to 12 hours by road during peak congestion, especially considering the three-hour-earlier reporting and car-loading period. 'Also, the high cost of ₹7,875 per vehicle plus individual passenger fares is not affordable for most families,' he said. 'The concept is innovative but its timing is highly unsuitable. They should have announced this around December for the New Year's celebration.' The rail passenger associations fear that the Ro-Ro will eat up space that otherwise could be used to run more Ganpati special trains. At present, Central Railway has announced 250 special trains and Western Railway will operate 44 special trains for the festival. The rail passenger associations said that running the Ro-Ro train would require a full set of operational staff (loco pilot, assistant, guards, train manager) and an entire path on the already saturated Konkan Railway route that could instead be used to operate Ganpati special trains.
