Bengaluru: Karnataka's Chief Minister flagged off the 'Roll-On/Roll-Off' (RO-RO) train over a video line on Sunday. The train will run between Bengaluru and Solapur in Maharashtra.
Yediyurappa inaugurated the first RO-RO train at Nelamagala station on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The South Western Railway (SWR) said the train will have open flat wagons on which trucks with goods are loaded. The driver and cleaner of the lorries can sit in their vehicles until they are dropped off at a point before the train moves on.
Speaking on the occasion, B S Yediyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka said, “Our beloved Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji is emphasizing on Multimodal connectivity. APMC Markets in the region offer tremendous scope for RORO.”
He congratulated Shri Suresh C. Angadi, Minister of State of Railways for taking lead in the initiative and assured full cooperation from State Government.
The train will take 17 hours from Bengaluru to Solapur covering a distance of about 682 km and carries 42 loaded trucks at a time. The train will run via Dharmavaram, Guntakal, Raichur and Wadi to reach Bale near Solapur in Maharashtra.
According to SWR, the RO-RO service will help reduce accidents on the road, improves safety, saves fuel, and foreign exchange. It ensures faster transport of essential goods, perishables, food items and smaller cargo, it said.
While it facilitates the large-scale movement of goods and reduces pollution, the cost of transport is lesser than transport by road.
Speaking on the occasion, Suresh C. Angadi, Minister of State of Railways said, “Multimodal connectivity is dream of Hon'ble Prime Minister. Thousands of trucks plying between Bengaluru and Solapur. With RORO travel time will be reduced to just 17 hours. This is a trial run that got delayed due to COVID. Kisan Rail was also started to help farmers-agricultural produce can be transported across the country. " The RORO service will bring faster development in the region.
He congratulated customer of today's RORO service for taking initiative. He also congratulated all Railway staff for doing mammoth work.
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