‘Roll-On- Roll-Off (RORO) service, which was introduced on its route by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) on January 26, 1999 has saved nearly 750 lakhs of fuel since then.
Mangaluru: As per the sources, the ‘Roll-On- Roll-Off (RORO) service, which was introduced on its route by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) on January 26 1999, has so far transported nearly 5 lakh fully loaded road trucks on rail wagons between Kolad in Maharashtra and Surathkal in Mangaluru taluk- and this service has saved around 750 lakh litres of fuel since 1999. This initiative is an great example to mark “world Environment Day’ which was observed on 5 June.
Apart from huge savings to the economy of the country, RORO service has also resulted in ameliorating traffic congestion on roads, and this concept is being emulated in Indian Railways also. Sources also revealed that apart from this RoRo service, Konkan Railway has also developed a low-cost ‘automatic coach washing plant’ technology for cleaning train coaches. This technology utilizes 70 per cent less water than a manual cleaning system. Each such plant saves nearly 10 million litres of water annually. Konkan Railway has two such plants on its route. Considering the huge benefits in terms of economy as well as water and energy being saved, this technology is being promoted for use in Indian Railways. To conserve water, KRCL has taken up rain water harvesting at Kamathe, Ratnagiri, Ukshi, Ankola and Murdeshwar stations. All new buildings and installations on the Konkan Railway will be provided with rain water harvesting systems in future.
To be environmental friendly, KRCL has so far installed bio-toilets in one fourth of its coaches and at 11 railway stations. More Bio-toilets will be installed at all upcoming restrooms at Konkan Railway stations. Also Organic waste converters that convert bio-degradable waste into compost have been installed at Ratnagiri, Madgaon and Karwar stations. A bio-digester has been installed at Ratnagiri station’s running room, and the bio-gas generated is used for cooking in the kitchen. Following the success of this project, more such organic waste converters and bio-digesters are in pipeline.
