Margao: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said govt was actively considering rail connectivity to Manohar International Airport, Mopa, with a proposal for a fast shuttle service linking Sindhudurg, Karwar, Canacona and Margao.Sawant was speaking at the inauguration of Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express at Margao railway station. The train was flagged off virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Bengaluru.Sawant said that passenger numbers on the Konkan Railway route have risen significantly since Mopa became operational. “A fast shuttle train from Sindhudurg to Karwar is one of the proposals I have placed before railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw,” he said. “A person from Canacona can then take the train to Mopa, and a person alighting at Mopa can take the rail route to Margao or Canacona and reach their destination in the shortest possible time.”The plan, he said, is to run two to three trains a day. “It will happen soon,” he said.The CM said the proposed railway station at Mayem would benefit people from Sattari and Bicholim talukas. He added that stations in Goa, particularly Margao and Tivim, are being upgraded. “Railway passengers should get the experience of travelling by air, and facilities are being provided on those lines,” he said.Speaking about the new Vande Bharat service, Sawant said it would link “the IT capital of India to the tourism capital of India”. He said that many young Goans work in Bengaluru’s IT sector, and the train would also help visitors from Bengaluru travelling to Goa on holiday. It would prove convenient for regular commuters along the Goa-Mangaluru coast as well, he said.Addressing a gathering in Bengaluru after inaugurating projects worth over Rs 15,600 crore, Modi noted that Karnataka had received its first Vande Bharat Sleeper train only days earlier. “Today, another Vande Bharat train has been dedicated that connects Karnataka to Goa,” he said.Modi said the train would give commuters along Karnataka’s coastal route, including Mangaluru, “a new experience of a semi-high-speed train”.
