 |
| minister George fernandez:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Fernandes |
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| Mr E. Sreedharan, a senior railway official:-http://www.meracareerguide.com/celebrity-E-Sreedharan.aspx |
Mr. Fernandes had a fierce ambition to see the Konkan Railway project through, but arranging funds for such a mega project was going to be tough[George Mathew Fernandes,A native of Mangalore:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Fernandes]
{Travel from Mangalore to Bombay/Mumbai was very difficult till 1970 .No konkan railway then.Either travel from Mangalore south through Kerala to madras/Chennai by train and change train to Bombay at Arkonam station near Chennai ; or travel north by bus over the sahyadri mountain to reach north Karnataka (about 12 hours by bus)then take a train to Bombay/so he knew the difficulty of people from southern states to reach Mumbai ,.Hence his ambition to make travel easy by making a railway line on west coast to Bombay}.
Mumbai Background
Until the Konkan Railway started its operations, the two important port cities Mangalore and Mumbai were not directly connected by the railway network. Even though economic reasons provided a strong need to connect these two cities, the region through which the railway track passed was geographically very tough and would be an engineering challenge. Due to the uneven terrain of the region, railway lines were not laid for many years.
Although the brainchild of veteran parliamentarian from Ratnagiri, Manohar Joshi,:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manohar_Joshi
national leaders such as Madhu Dandavate:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhu_Dandavate
who hailed from the Konkan and George Fernandes, played a major role in the conception of Konkan Railway. In 1966, a line was constructed between Diva in Mumbai and Apta in Raigad district. During the tenure of Madhu Dandavate, this was extended up to Roha in 1986, mainly to serve the industries located in the area. However, the missing link from Roha to Mangalore still remained. In October 1984, the Ministry of Railways decided to take a final location engineering-cum-traffic survey for the west coastal portion from Mangalore to Madgaon - a total distance of 325 km.
national leaders such as Madhu Dandavate:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhu_Dandavate
who hailed from the Konkan and George Fernandes, played a major role in the conception of Konkan Railway. In 1966, a line was constructed between Diva in Mumbai and Apta in Raigad district. During the tenure of Madhu Dandavate, this was extended up to Roha in 1986, mainly to serve the industries located in the area. However, the missing link from Roha to Mangalore still remained. In October 1984, the Ministry of Railways decided to take a final location engineering-cum-traffic survey for the west coastal portion from Mangalore to Madgaon - a total distance of 325 km.
In March 1985, the railways decided to extend the scope of their survey to include the omitted length of the west coast line extending from Madgaon to Roha. The Southern Railway was entrusted with this final location survey. They submitted the project report for this route to the Railway Ministry in 1988 and named it as the Konkan Railway after the coastline along which it runs.
The project gained impetus after George Fernandes became the Railway Minister in 1989. It was decided to constitute a separately incorporated railway company for the construction and operation of the line. Thus, on July 19, 1990, the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) was incorporated as a public limited company under the Companies Act, 1956, with its headquarters at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai and E. Sreedharan, a senior railway official, as its first Chairman and Managing Director.
The company set itself a challenging target of five years to complete the work - something that had never been achieved in India before for a project of this magnitude. The foundation stone for the project was laid at Roha on September 15, 1990, and the Corporation had its task cut out.
The company set itself a challenging target of five years to complete the work - something that had never been achieved in India before for a project of this magnitude. The foundation stone for the project was laid at Roha on September 15, 1990, and the Corporation had its task cut out.
Where 100 km over easy territory had taken 20 years, KRCL initially had a mere five years to build the Konkan Railway, a time frame which was further reduced by six months
Mr. George Fernandes on his first day in office in 1989 as the Minister for Railways flagged off the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd [KRCL]. Its mandate: raise your own funds and construct with speed and economy a railway connecting Mumbai with Mangalore and pay off the loans in the promised time. It was a sweeping challenge and it met its hero in Dr. E. Sreedharan, a veteran railway man known for brisk efficiency. Fernandes persuaded him out of his retirement and made him the Chairman and Managing Director of Konkan Railway.
Sreedharan faced this 'to-do' list:
~ 760 kM of rails to be laid with little gradient.
~ 2000 bridges to build
~ 92 tunnels totaling 83kM to bore
~ 42,000 landowners to deal with to acquire 4,850 hectares of land
~ 4 state governments to interact with
~ Rs.2250 crores to be raised
~ Life-styles and environment to be least disturbed
The Corporation acted fair. In many cases landowners h
ad neglected the paper work. The Corporation did a lot of hand-holding and when the papers were set right, they were paid a fair price. A mango tree was valued between Rs.2,000 and Rs.10,000 jack-fruit trees, Rs.2000 and cashew trees, Rs.1000. Heritage , community and religious structures were left alone. Displaced farmers were helped with transportation and rehabilitation. Near Dasgaon a new burial ground was built and bones and remains from the old ground transported with reverence. Payment cheques were door-delivered! All these were done in twelve months in a highly bureaucratised India!
Sreedharan had divided the length of 760kM into 7 sectors of approximately 100kM each. Each had a Chief Engineer with full freedom of decision making. And with the freedom came, in not so small a print, a definite time target. Four concrete sleeper plants were set up at Chiplun, Madgaon, Kudal and Murdeshwar to manufacture the 1.3 million
sleepers required for the project. Besides this cement, steel, explosives, rails and a hundred other things had to be delivered through harsh terrain. Depots were created for these. Wherever possible design was standardised to be built with pre-stressed parts cast elsewhere. International norms were followed in evaluating and short listing contractors. Their bids were decided upon within 72 hours of opening. Independent quality assurance inspectors were appointed.
For all these preparations the ordeal on the ground was not in any way mitigated. Many hair raising adventures -- some that nearly killed them -- were encountered. In 1994 the Mahad sector had floods that stood 12 feet above road level! Four workers building the Byndoor tunnel were blown back 60 feet by a sudden gush of water.
Panval Viaduct
At Ukshi an entire mountainside buried the works and equipment. Engineer Kapoor building the Pernem tunnel was nailed by a boulder on his foot and buried chest deep following a soil collapse. He was rescued by his colleague Jayasankaran in an act of daring that won him a bravery award. Engineers stayed away from homes for months. madgaon station
Map data ©2011 Google -
Trains passing through Madgaon
| Train name (no.) | Arrives | Departs | Stop time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asr Kcvl Expres (12484) | 21:30 | 21:40 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y |
| Amritsar Exp (12483) | 01:35 | 01:45 | 10 min | N | N | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Vsg Patna Exp (12741) | 19:40 | 20:00 | 20 min | N | N | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Konkan Kanya Ex (10111) | 10:45 | Ends | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Ubl Vsg Link Ex (01048) | 05:40 | 05:45 | 5 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Matsyaganda Exp (12620) | 20:45 | 20:55 | 10 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mangala Ldweep (12617) | 03:40 | 03:50 | 10 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Goa Smprk K Exp (12450) | 13:15 | Ends | Y | N | N | N | N | Y | N | |
| Trivndrm Rjdhni (12432) | 12:40 | 12:50 | 10 min | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y |
| Hapa Ten Sup Ex (12998) | 20:45 | 20:55 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | Y | Y | N |
| Matsyagandha Ex (12619) | 01:45 | 01:55 | 10 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Jan Shatabdi Ex (12052) | Starts | 14:30 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Jan Shatabdi Ex (12051) | 14:10 | Ends | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Konkan Kanya Ex (10112) | Starts | 18:00 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Vsg Howrah Exp (18048) | 07:40 | 07:45 | 5 min | N | Y | N | Y | Y | N | Y |
| Pune Ers Sup Ex (12520) | 05:35 | 05:45 | 10 min | N | N | Y | N | N | N | Y |
| Ers Pune Expres (12519) | 17:00 | 17:10 | 10 min | N | Y | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Mumbai Exp (2134A) | 18:15 | 19:00 | 45 min | N | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N |
| Sampark Kranthi (12217) | 01:35 | 01:45 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Hapa Express (12997) | 01:35 | 01:45 | 10 min | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| Madgaon Express (10216) | 04:00 | Ends | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | |
| Kerla S Kranti (12218) | 20:45 | 20:55 | 10 min | N | N | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Vsg Sbc Link Ex (02779) | 15:44 | 15:49 | 5 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Netravathi Exp (16346) | 05:45 | 05:55 | 10 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Netravati Exp (16345) | 22:40 | 22:50 | 10 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Okha Ers Expres (16337) | 07:30 | 07:40 | 10 min | Y | N | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Nagercoil Exp (16335) | 07:30 | 07:40 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Gandhidham Exp (16336) | 10:45 | 10:55 | 10 min | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| Veraval Express (16334) | 10:45 | 10:55 | 10 min | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Vrl Tvc Express (16333) | 07:30 | 07:40 | 10 min | N | N | N | Y | N | N | N |
| Bikaner Express (16312) | 10:45 | 10:55 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Bkn Kcvl Expres (16311) | 07:30 | 07:40 | 10 min | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| Maru Sagar Exp (12978) | 13:15 | 13:25 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Vsg Chennai Exp (17312) | 15:15 | 15:20 | 5 min | N | N | N | Y | N | N | N |
| Madgaon Ers Exp (10215) | Starts | 21:30 | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y | |
| Ltt Garib Rath (12202) | 01:35 | 01:45 | 10 min | N | N | N | Y | N | N | Y |
| Amaravathi Exp (18047) | 13:55 | 14:00 | 5 min | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N |
| Ypr Biweekly Ex (17310) | 21:20 | 21:25 | 5 min | Y | N | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Ypr Vasco Exp (17309) | 05:15 | 05:20 | 5 min | N | Y | N | N | N | N | Y |
| Mas Vasco Exp (17311) | 11:55 | 12:00 | 5 min | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Mumbai Exp (12134) | 18:15 | 19:00 | 45 min | N | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N |
| Kcvl Garib Rath (12201) | 02:25 | 02:35 | 10 min | Y | N | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Mngla Lksdp Exp (12618) | 19:25 | 19:35 | 10 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Goa Smprk K Exp (12449) | Starts | 11:20 | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | |
| Rajdhani Exp (12431) | 10:15 | 10:25 | 10 min | N | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N |
| Kcg Ypr Exp (17603) | 13:55 | 14:00 | 5 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mangalore Exp (12133) | 07:00 | 07:10 | 10 min | Y | N | Y | N | Y | N | N |
| Eranakulam Exp (11097) | 12:55 | 13:15 | 20 min | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Poorna Express (11098) | 15:00 | 15:20 | 20 min | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Mandovi Express (10104) | Starts | 09:30 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mandovi Express (10103) | 18:45 | Ends | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Ddn Kcvl Sup Ex (12288) | 21:30 | 21:40 | 10 min | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Dehradun Exp (12287) | 01:35 | 01:45 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Pnbe Vsg Expres (12742) | 07:55 | 08:15 | 20 min | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N |
| Maru Sagar Exp (12977) | 10:45 | 10:55 | 10 min | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y |
| Okha Express (16338) | 10:45 | 10:55 | 10 min | N | N | Y | N | Y | N | N |
| Goa Express (12780) | 05:40 | 05:45 | 5 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Goa Express (12779) | 15:45 | 15:50 | 5 min | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Many 'firsts':
When the railway was opened to the public on Jan 26, 1998, it had scored many firsts.
For the first time in India funds for the project were raised without touching the government coffers. The authorised capital of Rs.800 crores was pooled together by the railways and the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa and Maharashtra.
This was leveraged by means of public bonds to the extent of Rs.2250 crores. These bonds carried attractive rates of return, tax breaks and guaranteed repayment. The project also employed the least number of people in its management: at its peak a mere 2400, all in.
From the beginning the Corporation had set its mind on extensive use of information technology. Consider this in conjunction with the fact that in 1990, IT had just about begun to make its presence felt worldwide.
An international record in tunnel boring was set: the Natuvadi tunnel's 204 metres per month beat the previous 187 metres. And, a report by SIDA, Sweden asked: Would not Sweden sort out much of its tunnel boring problems by sending its engineers to Konkan railway?
Finally, to the amazement of disbelieving Indians, the project was completed in a mere 8 years, which is a bare wink of an eye in India.
Karbude Tunnel,
Ratnagiri 6.5 km long
Tike Tunnel Ratnagiri,
Maharashtra
Natuwadi Tunnel Khed,
Maharashtra
Chiplun Tunnel Chiplun,
Maharashtra
Apr 05, 2004
Konkan Rail in E Sreedharan’s words:-http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Supplement/article/konkan-rail-in-e-sreedharans-words/
MUMBAI'S FIRST METRO LINE OF JUST
10 KILOMETER LENGTH IS NOT YET
FINISHED[UNDER A NIL AMBANI'S RELIANCE] AFTER 5
YEARS.IT MAY FINISH IN 2013
[THERE WAS A SIMILAR PROJECT ELSE WHERE; ,OF A GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR, WHO USED BANK INTEREST OF FUNDS SANCTIONED FOR CONSTRUCTION ,
THE DELAY WAS BECAUSE FUNDS SANCTIONED WERE ILLEGALLY PUT IN BANKS AS FIXED DEPOSIT ;MEAN WHILE SLOW WORK WAS IN PROGRESS WITH THE INTEREST MONEY ;
LATER HE ASKED FOR FURTHER FUNDS FROM GOVERNMENT DUE TO DELAY AND PRICE RISE.]
Ratnagiri 6.5 km long
Tike Tunnel Ratnagiri,
Maharashtra
Natuwadi Tunnel Khed,
Maharashtra
Chiplun Tunnel Chiplun,
Maharashtra
Apr 05, 2004
Konkan Rail in E Sreedharan’s words:-http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Supplement/article/konkan-rail-in-e-sreedharans-words/
MUMBAI'S FIRST METRO LINE OF JUST
10 KILOMETER LENGTH IS NOT YET
FINISHED[UNDER A NIL AMBANI'S RELIANCE] AFTER 5
YEARS.IT MAY FINISH IN 2013
[THERE WAS A SIMILAR PROJECT ELSE WHERE; ,OF A GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR, WHO USED BANK INTEREST OF FUNDS SANCTIONED FOR CONSTRUCTION ,
THE DELAY WAS BECAUSE FUNDS SANCTIONED WERE ILLEGALLY PUT IN BANKS AS FIXED DEPOSIT ;MEAN WHILE SLOW WORK WAS IN PROGRESS WITH THE INTEREST MONEY ;
LATER HE ASKED FOR FURTHER FUNDS FROM GOVERNMENT DUE TO DELAY AND PRICE RISE.]
