Margao: More than three decades of wear and structural deterioration have taken their toll on two of Konkan Railway’s tunnels in Goa, and the corporation is now moving to replace both with new ones.Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRC) has invited tenders for detailed design consultancy for the construction of two new tunnels—one parallel to the existing 544m Old Goa tunnel, and another parallel to the existing 1,561m Pernem tunnel—along with the rehabilitation of the existing structures.“Both tunnels have weakened due to deterioration over the years. Every monsoon, we see rainwater seeping through them,” said Baban Ghatge, deputy manager, public relations, Konkan Railway.“The project is in the final stages of approval by the ministry of railways. Once the new tunnels are constructed and traffic is diverted through them, the existing ones will be rehabilitated. Together, they will facilitate track doubling along the stretch.”Ghatge added that land acquisition for the two new tunnels has already been initiated, and that a patch-doubling proposal is also awaiting final approval.The tender pegs the advertised cost of the design consultancy and site supervision work at Rs 17 crore, with a completion period of 38 months.The estimated cost of the two tunnels is pegged at over Rs 1,500 crore, official sources said.The move is part of a broader financial and infrastructure restructuring of KRC.A proposal by the ministry of railways in Dec 2025 for a third financial restructuring of Konkan Railway—covering Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka—lists the construction of two new tunnels at Pernem and Old Goa, along with three new crossing stations, among its key works aimed at enhancing line capacity, safety and efficiency.Both tunnels have a history of monsoon-related disruptions.In Aug 2020, a 5m stretch of the lined wall inside the Pernem tunnel caved in, paralysing train traffic on the Konkan Railway route for 40 days before services were restored.Four years later, in July 2024, tracks inside the Pernem tunnel were inundated by three days of incessant rain, forcing the cancellation or diversion of several trains. The Old Goa tunnel, too, suffers from ingress of water and slush inside the structure during heavy rains.
