Doubling of SCR line will boost tourism: Goa chamber

Doubling the South Central Railway's track, which terminates in Goa, will increase the tourism potential of the state and also boost industrial growth, the state commerce chamber said on Monday.

"Doubling of the line will connect Goa with the rest of India and also improve tourism," said Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) director general R.S. Kamat.

"This (doubling of track) will help Goa to increase passengers, goods traffic and eventually boost tourism industry, as it will be a transit point for upcountry trains," Kamat added.

Indian Railways officials have said work is expected to begin soon on the doubling of the railway track from Vasco da Gama to Tinaighat in Karnataka.

Goa is home to two railway zones, operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation and the South Central Railway (SCR). The SCR, whose lines terminate at Vasco da Gama railway station, is used as a major transit route for transportation of iron ore, coal as well as other cargo which arrives by sea at the Mormugao port, also located in close proximity of the railway terminus.

In Goa, the SCR operates over a hilly track which was laid nearly a century ago during the colonial Portuguese regime and was used for trade with neighbouring Karnataka region, then ruled by the British.

The GCCI over the years had complained that the single railway track along the Vasco da Gama-Tinaighat route often delayed rail traffic and led to clogging of the route, resulting in impediment to business logistics.