Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jul 9: Shantaram Naik, M.P., appealed to the Railway Minister Mamta Bannerjee not to treat Goa as a corridor of Railways and give Goa its due share in the railway network.
Naik who was participating in the debate on railway budget on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha has said that when Konkan Railway was being constructed there was a section of people who felt that Goa may just become a corridor, and therefore, Naik said it should not be allowed to happen.
Making a few demands Naik has pleaded for a train from Goa to Tirupati as also a train from Goa to Vailankini to facilitate Goans as also tourists to visit these places.
Naik also requested the Minister to resume the train from Vasco-Da-Gama to Mumbai via Belgaum and Pune.
This is one of the oldest route on which trains were plying, however, after the broad gage of Konlan Railway route, trains plying from Vasco-da-Gama to Mumbai via said old route have been cancelled. It is, therefore, requested that a regular trains on this route should be introduced, Naik said.
Making a demand for daily direct train to Delhi via Baroda, Naik said at present, there is one train, namely, Goa-Nizamuddin Express, daily, from Vasco Da-Gama (Goa) to Nizamuddin but it takes 48 hours as it goes via Pune-Bhopal route. The second train for Goa-New Delhi journey is Mangala xpress which runs daily between Ernakulam and Nizamuddin which passes through Goa but, the same takes 36 hours as it takes Panvel-Bhopal route.
The only other train which take shortest route namely, Panvel-Baroda route, is Trivandrum-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express, which also, passes through Goa, which takes merely 26 hours but, is available, only for three days in a week. You will agree that the train fare of Rajdhani is not affordable for common travelers.