The entire Konkan Railway stretch from Roha (Maharashtra) to Thokur (Karnataka) is divided into two sections — Roha-Verna and Verna-Thokur— to take up electrification works.
The work has been awarded to Larsen and Toubro Ltd, Faridabad, for the Roha-Verna section and STS-KPTL, Noida, for the Verna-Thokur section. Work has already commenced simultaneously from Roha in the northern-end and from Thokur in the southern- end. While approximately 105 km of the tracks are electrified, work on the remaining stretch is expected to be completed soon. Work between Bijoor and Verna (200 km) is under progress, sources in the Konkan Railway said.
B B Nikam, Regional Railway Manager, Konkan Railway, Karwar, told TNIE that most of the work from Thokur to Bijoor has been already completed and now the work has been taken up from Bijoor towards Verna. The electrification work began in September, 2017.
Experts feel that the electrification will have several benifits. The Matsyagandha Express currently takes 16 hours to traverse between Mangaluru central and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Mumbai. The Train's average speed is 45-50kmph. Once electrified, the train will travel at a speed of 80-100 km per hour.