In what could be one of the most ambitious projects of the Railways in the state, the authorities concerned have mooted the setting up of 80 Railway Overbridges (RoB) within a span of two years.
The project is expected to ease the travel woes of the commuters across the state and circumvent the dangers lurching at all unmanned level crossings.
“There are more than 80 unmanned level crossings in the state, which is a huge cause of concern to the Railways. Also, the lack of proper personnel to man the level crossing is a huge threat. Efforts are being made to eliminate this menace,” said a Railway official.
According to DRM Rajesh Agarwal, the project would be completed within two years.
“There are plans to close down all the unmanned level crossings and replace it with RoBs. The aim is also to increase the punctuality of the running trains,” the official said. Meanwhile, the DRM added that efforts are being made to increase the freight carriage in the state.
He opined that the state has a huge potential if the freight traffic is properly tapped. “Efforts are being taken at all levels to improve the freight traffic. However, progress cannot be made with our efforts alone. We are in constant touch with the state government officials in this matter,” he said.
He added that the National Highways in the state are hugely congested and do not have further capacity to accommodate goods traffic.
“The roads are crowded owing to the large numbers of container lorries,” he said.
Steps have been taken to re-commission the wharfs at Wellington Island and Mattancherry.
“We also have enormous potential if we improve the ports in our state, especially the dry ports. We are seeking the cooperation of the Port Trust officials regarding this,” Agarwal said.
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