ANI

Mangalore/New Delhi, Jan 25: Konkan Railway will complete ten glorious years of train operations on January 26.

Konkan Railway today portrays a picture of a confident and a surging Public Sector Undertaking of Indian Railways.

While it has given some remarkable innovations to the world, namely Anti-Collision Device (ACD) and Sky Bus Metro in the decade, it has also made a complete financial turnaround in the last two years and is today proud of becoming a financial success story.

The operating surplus of the corporation increased by 74 per cent in 2005-06 and is steadily increasing by 25-30 percent per year.

The freight earnings have shown a significant quantum jump in last two years, increasing by a record 71 per cent in 2005-06 and surging by almost 25 to 30 per cent per annum, for the first time surpassing the coaching earnings.

The total earnings are expected to increase from Rs. 279 crore (Rs. 2.79 billion) in 2004-05 to about Rs. 470 crore (Rs 4.7 billion) in current financial year, exhibiting an initial rise of 25 per cent and thereafter a steady increase of about 15 to 20 per cent per year.

The operating ratio has significantly dropped by 12 percent in 2005-06 and further by 5 to 6 per cent during 2006-07.
In these ten years, KRCL has also invented Anti Collision Device (ACD), which can prevent midsection head-on collisions, side collisions, and rear-end collisions of trains, in addition to having many other safety features. No other technology in the world offers these features. Konkan Railway holds patent for the product.

The first pilot project of the ACD on Northeast Frontier Railway covering 1736 kilometres was commissioned this financial year. Following this and the live demonstration of ACD to the delegates of International Railway Safety Conference held at Madgaon recently, KRCL has started receiving enquiries from various countries for implementation of ACD.

Konkan Railway will also be completing nine years of operation of RORO (Roll on Roll off) truck-on-train service on January 26. This innovative service has established that railways and roadways can exist in a symbiotic relationship.

KRCL has earned more than Rs.90 crore from RORO service in nine years.

Konkan Railway has been transporting millions of passengers and millions of tonnes of freight along the West Coast of India over last ten years. On an average, about 35 million passengers travel by Konkan Railway route every year.

Konkan Railway transports food grains, iron ore, fertilizers, cement, LPG, bauxite, vegetable oil, coal and containers via its route, and has enabled prompt and fast delivery of goods being the shortest physical route connecting Mumbai to Mangalore.

Konkan Railway is also implementing Telemedicine project in other zonal railways. It is also executing the construction work of the challenging Katra-Laole section of the new rail line in Jammu and Kashmir that will create record of sorts when constructed.