Improvement in Passenger Amenities and Earnings mark the year
Known for its efficient management practices and appreciated for the same by the World Bank in the past, Konkan Railway has recently been rated “Excellent” for its Corporate Governance by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). The rating is for the year 2012-13 and is based on degree of compliance to guidelines issued by DPE on Corporate Governance. The financial year 2013-14 also saw augmentation in various passenger amenities on the Konkan Railway route as well as in earnings.
For the first time since the start of its operations phase, Konkan Railway has earned a record` 400 Crore alone from freight traffic in 2013-14 which is an increment of 17.5% over the previous year. Konkan Railway has posted Total Earnings of approx. ` 1220 Crore (unaudited) in the financial year 2013-14 compared to ` 1137.23 Crore in 2012-13 – an increase of 7.3%, and Operating Surplus of ` 205.68 Crore (unaudited) compared to ` 158.36 Crore in 2012-13 – an increase of 29.8%. The NTKM (Net Tonne Kilometer) – which is considered the bread and butter for any Railway system – also registered an 8.7% growth over the previous year.
Konkan Railway also introduced 5 new trains on the route and took steps to improve passenger amenities. The new trains introduced are 22629 / 22630 Dadar-Tirunelveli Weekly express, 22113/22114 LTT – Kochuveli bi-weekly Express, 22636/22635 Madgaon – Mangalore Central Intercity Express, 70105/20106 Bhatkal – Mangalore DMU service, and 70103/70104 Madgaon – Karwar DEMU service. Train No. 12450 / 12449 Nizamuddin – Madgaon ‘Goa Sampark Kranti Express’ was extended upto Chandigarh. Frequency of Train No.12218 / 12217 Chandigarh – Kochuveli ‘Kerala Sampark Kranti Express’ increased from Weekly to Bi-Weekly.
On the request of passengers, 3 new PRS centres, namely at Khed, Byndoor, Post Kundapura and one exclusive for Senior Citizens at Kudal station were opened. A new halt station was commissioned at Innanje between Udupi and Padubidri stations. Bio-toilets were provided at 3 stations and 5 are under construction. As many as 63 Passenger Shelters were erected and 175 nos of benches have been provided at various stations providing greater relief to passengers. Taking note of the inconvenience being faced by senior citizens and physically challenged passengers at Ratnagiri station to approach the platform which is at a lower level, facility of lift has been recently provided at Ratnagiri station which is being much appreciated. Foot Over Bridge was constructed at Karmali station and for the convenience of road users, a Road Over Bridge was constructed at Level Crossing No. 38 at Km.414/3-4 in Karmali – Verna Section.
Konkan Railway is committed to continuously upgrade its services and provide better facilities to passengers.
