Lorry slips and falls off Konkan Railway's Ro-Ro train, no injuries

Lorry falls off Roll On-Roll Off train

For the first time since its launch in 1999, a lorry slipped and fell off Konkan Railway's popular Roll On-Roll Off (Ro-Ro) train on Wednesday night between Khed and Ratnagiri stations. No injuries were reported. The incident led to the delay of other passenger trains.

Confirming the incident, Konkan Railway spokesperson Girish Karandikar said, "The place where the mishap took place is on a curve and the lorry was laden with heavy steel plates. No one was injured and the incident did not have any major repercussions on the traffic as it was cleared in two hours. Konkan Railway has also initiated a high-level inquiry into the incident."

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Sources said the heavy lorry laden with steel plates would have lost balance with the train catching speed and, on the curve, it probably tilted and gave away bursting the fasteners that secure it.

Ro-Ro is a service that enables loaded trucks to be carried directly on railway wagons between two destinations. In one train, approximately 44 loaded/ empty trucks are usually moved. Started on January 26, 1999, by KRCL between Kolad (near Mumbai) and Verna in Goa, the facility was extended till Surathkal, off Mangaluru from June 15, 2004.

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The Ro-Ro model is useful as it helps in saving fuel and turnaround time and is more economical than the cost incurred by road. A truck operator, who makes two to three trips a week by road between two destinations, can make more per week with Ro-Ro. The idea is now slowly being replicated across various Indian Railway zones, with even Central and Western Railway adopting it.

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