Review of the Existing Rolling Motorway, a Case Study of Ro-Ro Operated by Konkan Railways

Proceedings of International Conference on Advances in Architecture and Civil Engineering (AARCV 2012), 21st – 23rd June 2012 565 Paper ID TRA146, Vol. 1

Review of the Existing Rolling Motorway, A Case Study of Ro-Ro Operated by Konkan Railways

Donal Nixon D‟Souza , Rahul Sinha, Varun Menon and Aravind Bhashyam

Abstract--- This paper is a review of the existing rolling geographically were tough and was an engineering challenge. motorway; intermodal transport system operated by Konkan Due to uneven terrain of the region, the railway line was not Railways, by the name Ro-Ro. Ro-Ro is Roll On – Roll Off. It laid for many years. Later due to the interest of national is a unique train road synergy system where the truck moves leaders, a strong foundation was put for the creation on on road from the loading point to the Ro-Ro terminal over Konkan railways.With a total number of over 2,000 bridges Konkan Railways, where from it is carried by rail over rex of and 91 tunnels, the project was the biggest and perhaps most modified wagons to the next Ro-Ro terminal. This system is difficult railway undertaking during this century. The route currently available only in the KonkanRailway in India which became quite popular with passengers from the day it was was introduced in the year 1999 [5]. However the system has opened, due to the connectivity it provided to regions hitherto been very popular is Europe and has grown to a large extent inaccessible by rail, as well as the substantial savings in time there. In India it is only restricted to Konkan railway between for commuters between western and southern India. At Kolad in Maharashtra to Verna in Goa and Kolad to Suratkal present, 106 passenger services operate each week in either in Karnataka. The introduction of Ro-Ro services has been a direction. Although the actual distance of the route is 738 Km win-win situation for both the railways and the road for calculation of fare it is taken 1034 Km (40% inflation) to transporters as well as to the nation. The study has been make up for the cost involved in maintaining the line in tough conducted between Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Mangalore conditions [4]. (Karnataka) to estimate the benefits of Ro-Ro, since the two In India the actual source of income for any Railways is cities being major ports and a popular truck corridor. This freight. But Freight response to the Konkan Railway was paper is part of the studies done about Ro-Ro, the intermodal lukewarm. This is because there were no major industries like transport facility provided by Konkan Railways. cement, coal etc. present in this region which uses rail systems primarily for transportation. The items which were transported Keywords--- Ro-Ro, Konkan Railway, Intermodal in this region were small goods like plywood, marble, areca Transport, Economic Analysis nut, coffee, tea etc. which were plying on trucks. With high debts, Konkan Railways was banking on freight traffic to bail it out. In an effort to attract freight traffic, the corporation I. INTRODUCTION began creating awareness among local industries on the ONKAN Railway is a railway line which runs along the route. In 1999, the Konkan Railways Corporation introduced K onkan coast of India. It was constructed and operated by the Ro-Ro service, a unique road-rail synergy system (rolling the Konkan Railway Corporation under Ministry of Railways. motorway system), on the section between Kolad in It runs from Mangalore in Karnataka to Roha in Maharashtra Maharashtra and Verna in Goa, which was extended up through Goa, along Western Ghats close to the coast covering to Surathkal in Karnataka in 2004. The Ro-Ro service, the first a distance of 738km on single line BG track. Until Konkan of its kind in India, allowed trucks to be transported on flatcars Railways started its operation, the two important port cities [3]. were not directly connected by the railway network. In mid of twentieth century, people travelling form Mangalore to II. THE ROLLING MOTOR WAY Mumbai, would go to Kadur or Birur by bus and then catch a train to Mumbai (or Bombay that time).In 1970s National A rolling motorway (known as ROLA from German term Highway 17 (NH17) was built to connect these two cities by “Rollende Landstrase‟‟ which means rolling country road) is a synergy of railway and road system. It is a combined transport road. Direct bus and truck services started between these two system in which trucks are transported by rails. Special flat cities after the construction of NH17. Even though economic wagons are used in a rolling highway to provide a driveable reasons provided a strong need to connect these two cities, the track along the entire train. These wagons are usually closed region through which the railway track passes was coupled flat cars [1]. Rolling motorway operated by Konkan Railway has been named as “Ro-Ro”, meaning Roll on-Roll Donal Nixon D’Souza, UG Student, Department of Civil Engineering, MSRIT, Bangalore. off. At both ends of the rail link, there are purpose built Rahul Sinha, UG Student, Department of Civil Department, MSRIT, terminals that allow a train to be easily loaded and unloaded. Bangalore. The drivers of the truck carry out the loading operation (called Varun Menon, UG Student, Department of Civil Department, MSRIT, horizontal loading) themselves. Being a combined transport, Bangalore. Aravind Bhashyam, Associate Professor, Department of Civil only a part of the total journey of the road vehicle is carried by Engineering,MSRIT, Bangalore. the rail. Before and after loading on to the wagon, the vehicle

ISBN 978-93-82338-01-7 | © 2012 Bonfring Proceedings of International Conference on Advances in Architecture and Civil Engineering (AARCV 2012), 21st – 23rd June 2012 566 Paper ID TRA146, Vol. 1 is driven on the road. The rail transport allows of avoidance of Table 1: Ro-Ro Rate Details geographical obstacles of a route system involving weight or access restriction. The distance covered by rail depends on the S. Service Rate/ Additional rate length of the obstacle on the road. A rolling highway has both No vehicle / MT above 15 ecological and economic advantages: The truck . up-to MT operators saves fuel, toll, time losses due to traffic jams and 15M T vehicle operating hours, and the drivers can sleep in order to 1 Kolad 4200 300 fulfil rest period regulations without interrupting the journey Verna [2] . In Ro-Ro operated by Konkan Railways the truck drivers 2 Verna 4200 300 travel in the cabin of truck during rolling highway journey, Kolad whereas in European system the truck drivers are 3 Kolad 6900 400 Suratkal accommodated in a passenger car with seats or beds. Since 4 Suratkal 6900 400 drivers, don‟t drive, a Ro-Ro journey can be treated as a rest period, Kolad

Rolling highways are mostly used for transit routes. In Austria, rolling highways exist from Bayern via Tyrol Table 2: Growth of Ro-Ro to Italy. In Switzerland, rolling highways across the Alps exist Year No of Earnings in for both the Gotthard and Lötschberg - Simplon route. At trucks crores (Rs.) present, in India it is available only on the Konkan Railway 1998-99 522 0.39 system. 1999-2000 5719 2.95

III. ROLLING MOTORWAY IN KONKAN RAILWAYS 2000-01 11519 4.70 Rolling motorway was started by Konkan railway by the 2001-02 9473 4.59 name Ro-Ro, between Kolad (170 km away from Mumbai) 2002-03 14131 7.51 and Verna (20km from Madgaon) in the year 1999.The system 2003-04 11135 6.58 was later introduced between Kolad and Suratkal in the year 2004. At present Konkan Railway is operating 2 trains running 2004-05 17615 11.37 to and fro between Kolad – Suratkal (starts at 5:00 am and 2005-06 18172 14.32 reaches at 3:00 am next day (22 hours)) and 2 trains 2006-07 23727 21.38 betweenVerna and Kolad (starts in evening 5:00 pm and reaches at 5:00 am next morning (12 hours)) on daily basis.In 2007-08 27896 24.50 Ro-Ro, the trucks are loaded through a ramp provided at the 2008-09 24041 22.63 dead end of the loop on BRN wagons, which have been 2009-10 37620 23.59 suitably modified for through passage of trucks over them. A 2010-11 28482 25.68 drivable path is provided between two wagons, similar to the one found in passenger trains.Before loading over the BRN, 2011-12 35553 34.63 the trucks are weighted and passed under a height gauge. The 2012 ( upto April 3464 3.47 maximum height allowed is 3.4m above road level, to ensure 2012) the safe passage through tunnels. The driver and cleaner of the truck travel along, sleeping in the truck cabin.Maximum gross vehicle weight permitted for Ro-Ro is 40 MT and each train IV. STUDY has a capacity to carry 43 wagons. The study focuses on the trucks transiting between Mangalore and Mumbai. The trucks using Ro-Ro system get loaded in Suratkal, 20 km from Mangalore and get unloaded at Kolad, 140 km from Mumbai. The trucks which don‟t use Ro- Ro go to Mumbai via Honnavar, Belgaum and Pune.This is basically due to good roads and avoidance of interstate taxes, passing through Goa.

The interview consists of two parts: Figure 1: Schematic Representation of Loading of Trucks on the Ro-Ro System (Horizontal Loading) A. Interview of Trucker Drivers using Ro-Ro 20 truck drivers were interviewed at Suratkal intermodal terminal, where they had stopped for loading. The main goods travelled between Mangalore and Mumbai was mainly food items like rice, tobacco and pineapples, areca nut, plywood, coffee, rubber, bitumen. These trucks did not just originate from Mangalore, but most of them travelled from the southern state of Kerala. From Mumbai to Mangalore, the trucks

ISBN 978-93-82338-01-7 | © 2012 Bonfring Proceedings of International Conference on Advances in Architecture and Civil Engineering (AARCV 2012), 21st – 23rd June 2012 567 Paper ID TRA146, Vol. 1 generally carried finished goods like biscuits, marble from Map 2: Showing non Ro-Ro route Rajasthan, electronic items and textiles. In most of the cases Saving of Time the truck driver did not own the truck. They were employees A truck takes around 48 hours between Mumbai and of the truck company. Hence they were not the main decision Mangalore. makers as they relied more on the information provided by the Whereas time taken by intermodal transport is 27 hours transport agents. The questionnaire included information on which can be divided as follows: fuel consumption, maintenance, tolls, travel time, salaries, insurance etc. Mumbai toKolad road journey: 4 hours Loading at Kolad: 1 hour B. Interview of Trucker Drivers not Using Ro-Ro Ro-Ro train from Kolad to Suratkal: 20 hours About 10 non Ro-Ro trucks were interviewed, with the Unloading at Suratkal: 1hour help of transport agents in Mangalore industrial area. There Road journey from Suratkal to Mangalore: 30 minutes. were very few trucks which travelled to Mumbai, without a Thus a time saving of around 21 hours is achieved. Ro-Ro system. Generally the trucks which avoided Ro-Ro Saving of Toll were vehicle transport trucks and trucks which were not The major tolls in this route are allowed due to height restrictions. Trucks travelling to Pune were also interviewed, since they travelled on road.Most Pune- Mumbai – Toll about Rs 868 trucks were found to be tandem axle rigid body trucks, Belgaum Pune – Toll Rs 700 carrying an average load of 25 M T. Belgaum Hubli – Toll Rs 400 Total toll is around Rs 2000. For Ro-Ro system the only toll plaza comes between Kolad and Mumbai, which is around Rs 200. The toll amount saved is 1800 per journey. Wear and Tear of Tyres The average life expectancy of truck tyres is about 40000 kms. An average truck tyre cost Rs 18000. So each tyre costs Rs 0.45/km. For 10 wheeled truck, cost of running from Mangalore to Mumbai is Rs4.5 x 960 km = Rs.4320. Whereas in Ro-Ro trucks run for about 160 kms, which costs about Rs 720. Thus there is a saving of Rs 3600 in a Ro-Ro journey. Reduction in Accidents In India 70% of road accidents occur on highways causing about 60,000 deaths every year. In this truck accidents are the most common type of accident [6] .However there has been no history of Ro-Ro train accident till date. In the past 14 years of operation, Ro-Ro has removed 2.65 lakh trucks off the road thus preventing major accidents. The drivers do not worry about fellow traffic users, as in highway. No Rough Ride The road travel along the Konkan coast which is along the western coast of India is prone to heavy rainfall of upto 3000 mm per annum [7]. So the roads are not suitable for high Map 1 speed and high load carrying journey. Also the highway Showing route followed by Ro-Ro between Suratkal to Hubli is a 2 lane (narrow) highway. The Red shows the route which has to be travelled by road while highway between Honnavar and Hubli is a ghat section, with Blue shows the Ro-Ro route winding turns, which makes it very difficult for the drivers to C. Advantages negotiate it. On the other hand Ro-Ro is hassle free movement. Only that the train takes about 24 hours to travel Saving of Fuel from Suratkal to Kolad, instead of the stipulated 20 hours Generally trucks consume 300 litres of diesel for a 1 way during monsoon season. journey between Mumbai and Mangalore.The Ro-Ro train consumes 5000 litres for this journey (the locomotive used is No Detention at Check Posts WDG 3A, nick named „Shakti‟). Since 40 trucks travel onRo- From the survey it was found that at cross border check Ro train, they would have consumed a fuel of 270 x 40 = posts, minimum time required for paper clearances was 30 10800 litres. Thus saving 5800 litres of precious nation fuel, mins. In case of Ro-Ro system a check post has been which can be amounted to Rs. 45 x 5800 = Rs 2, 61,000.This established at Suratkal, Verna and Kolad.Hence there is no is due to the fact that the railways have lower rolling friction problem of intermediate check posts. Also there is no problem (1/5th of roadways). of bribes being paid at check posts. Less Traffic on Highways

Since trucks contribute to maximum PCU, they are a major comfortable journey of the driver and the cleaner. source of traffic congestion. Getting them off the road is a major advantage to traffic. In ACKNOWLEDGMENT the past 14 years of operation, Ro-Ro has removed 2.65 lakh The authors would like to thank Er. E. Sreedharan, founder trucks off the road. MD of Konkan Railway Corporation and other staffs of Konkan Railway for providing valuable details. Cheap Tariff Konkan railway charges a very nominal fee for the Ro-Ro REFERENCES system; this has enabled the growth of the system. [1] Romeo Danielis, Lucia Rotaris, Luca Buzzulini, Elvira Biktimirova Reduction in Pollution (2010), “The choice between road transport and rolling motorway: a case study” Working Paper SIET 2010. pp 2. 14.1 kg/km of CO2 is emitted by WDG 3A locomotive. Thus for a distance of 760km, about 10,360 kg of CO is [2] P.T. Jadaneant (2010), “Energy savings from using transport RoLa”, 2 Journal of Sustainable Energy, Vol. 1, No 2, pp 1-2. emitted. Whereas CO2 emission by a truck is 0.5kg/km. Thus [3] “More trucks board trains, adding to Konkan Rlys pockets”- Business for a journey of 960 km by 40 trucks, 19200kg of CO2is Line, New Delhi, March 26, 2012 emitted. Hence Ro-Ro has resulted in about 50% lesser [4] "Konkan Railway ready to roll, at last". Online edition of the Indian emission than trucks. Express dated 16-01-1999 [5] ROLL ON- ROLL OFF (RORO) SERVICE ON KONKAN RAILWAY". Official webpage of the Konkan Railway Corporation. V. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS [6] Dr. Ashish Verma, Dr. Farida Saad, Dr. Sylvain Lassare “Potential ITS application for road safety in India” Proceedings of National Conference A. Saving by a Truck Operator per Journey by Using Ro-Ro National Conference on ITS" held at IIT-Bombay during 25-27 August Type of Cost Savings in Rupees 2011 [7] “South West monsoon end of season report 2011” Indian Metrological 1 Highway Toll 1800 Department, pp 12-13. 2 Fuel Cost 12150 3 Tyre cost 3600 4 Engine oil 120 Total Saving 17670

Payment to Konkan Railway by truck operators for an average 30 MT truck is Rs 12900, hence the truck operators make an effective saving of Rs 4770 per journey. B. Profits to Konkan Railways Revenue generated by Konkan railways per Ro-Ro train is Rs 5.16 lakh. Konkan Railway spends Rs3.25lakh for running one Ro-Ro train per journey. In this the fuel cost is 2.25 lakhs and rest is spent in labour, administrative and depreciation cost. Hence the effective earning for Konkan Railway is 1.91 lakhs Disadvantages Although the system has proved to a boon for Konkan Railways, this intermodal transportation system has few disadvantages like No flexibility of time, tall trucks not allowed, explosives and other harmful items cannot be transported. Also till now this service is available only onKonkan railway and it provides point to point service only.

VI. CONCLUSION Ro-Ro system has proved to be a win-win situation for all. However till now the system is limited to Konkan Railways, in-spite of the fact that this system has huge potential in other regions also. Intermodal transportation system is suited for developing countries like India and Ro-Ro system is the best example of sustainable development. Usually trucks and trains are competitive to each other, but in this system it‟s a synergy. Ro-Ro can be adopted anywhere in India to synchronise the Rail-Road transportation and to promote multimodal transportation. To improve the service of Ro-Ro in Konkan Railways, a passenger bogie could be attached at the end of the train for