Konkan Railway set to merge with Indian Railways; Mangaluru division plan gains momentum

Payyannur: Karnataka is moving ahead with a plan to take over the Konkan Railway and establish a separate Mangaluru railway division. Though the move has been in the works for years, a key step has now been completed with the Mangaluru region, including Ullal, being shifted from the Palakkad division to the Mysuru division under South Western Railway. The process will be completed once the Konkan Railway Corporation is merged with Indian Railways.

Efforts had earlier begun to create a new Mangaluru division under South Western Railway, alongside Mysuru, Bengaluru and Hubballi divisions. The plan is to take over the section from Thokur under the Konkan Railway Corporation to Tivim station in Goa, including Madgaon. There are 30 stations on this stretch. Stations in the Mangaluru region will also be brought under the new division. The section from Roha to Tivim, comprising 38 stations, will be brought under Central Railway. However, the dispute between the two zones over the inclusion of Madgaon delayed the move to create the division.

Konkan Railway to become part of Indian Railways

Development works on the Konkan Railway, including track doubling and tunnel renovation, have been progressing slowly due to its limited revenue sources. Against this backdrop, a decision has been taken to merge the Konkan Railway with Indian Railways as a fully owned subsidiary.

Last year, the Railway Board had asked the states that hold shares in Konkan Railway to return their stakes. Kerala, among other states, has agreed to the proposal.

Maharashtra, which holds a 22 per cent stake, is to be paid Rs 396.54 crore in return. Kerala is to receive around Rs 90 crore. The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited was formed in 1990. The Railway Ministry holds a 51 per cent stake, while the remaining 49 per cent is held by four states — Maharashtra (22 per cent), Karnataka (15 per cent), and Kerala and Goa (6 per cent each).

Once Konkan Railway is merged with Indian Railways, the section from Mangaluru to Tivim in Goa will come under South Central Railway.