K'taka CM Yediyurappa Flags off First RORO Train from Bengaluru to Solapur

The first ever Roll On Roll Off (RORO) from nearby Nelamangala to Bale close to Solapur in Maharashtra was flagged off here on Sunday with the multimodal service expected to remove existing bottlenecks in transport of commodities between the two states.

RORO is a concept of carrying road vehicles loaded with various commodities on open flat railway wagons.

The trial run of the service, the first in south Western Railway, was flagged off by Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa along with Minister of State of Railways Suresh Angadi.

"Our beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is emphasising on Multimodal connectivity. APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) Markets in the region offer tremendous scope for RORO," Yediyurappa was quoted as saying in a release.

"Roll-On-Roll-Off (RORO) service is hassle-free, reduces accidents on the road, environment friendly, and presents a win-win situation to truck operators and industries. Happy to flag the maiden RORO train service between Bengaluru &Solapur. My best wishes to all stakeholders!" he tweeted.

The train will run via Dharmavaram Guntakal, Raichur and Wadi to reach Bale near Solapur in Maharashtra, covering the distance of 682 kms in 17 hours, officials said.

As many as 42 trucks/lorries with goods can be carried at time in this train, they said. RORO train consists of an open flat wagon on which Lorries/trucks with goods are loaded, and the driver andcleaner of the Lorries sit in their vehicles. They are dropped at a particular point from which they drive off.

"Multimodal connectivity is the dream of the Prime Minister. Thousands of trucks plying between Bengaluru and Solapur. With RORO travel time will be just 17 hours. This isa trial run that got delayed due to COVID," Minister Angadi said.

The new service will remove existing bottlenecks in the transport of commodities between the two States, and facilitate safer, speedier, and more reliable transport,officials said.

They further said, RORO service reduces accidents on road, thereby improving safety, saves fuel, and foreign exchange. It ensures faster transport of essential goods,perishables, food items and smaller cargo.

It facilitates large-scale movement of goods and reduces pollution. The cost of transport is lesser than transport byroad.

RO-RO train services were first introduced in Indian Railways on Konkan Railways in 1999, and are running successfully since then.