@ Manish - thanks for the correction. in fact i knew but i don't know how i typed Thokur. Thanks..

@ Binai - what you say is absolute true. that's why i had mentioned - cook, eat & sleep for the truck drivers..

@Manish... the Ro-Ro service does not save much time, but it saves truckers the hassle of tackling the ghat section and lot of fuel. However, a trucker once said me that they load trucks on first-come-first served basis. In case there are too many...

@Manish... the Ro-Ro service does not save much time, but it saves truckers the hassle of tackling the ghat section and lot of fuel. However, a trucker once said me that they load trucks on first-come-first served basis. In case there are too many trucks, they might have to wait for the next trip. In some cases, there would be too few trucks that one trip is cancelled. If any loco working a passenger carrying train fails, the loco of RoRo is used for it. Poor truckers are left in the middle of no-where till a replacement loco comes. This is perhaps why many regulars still prefer driving down rather than wait till eternity for the RoRo.

Apu sir, I'm all game! How about this : a group of us railfans hire a lorry in Mangalore, pose as merchants and ride the Ro-Ro upto Kolad and back?

BTW, don't long delays like these defeat the purpose of the Ro-Ro : to save time?

Hrishikesh, a small correction - the Ro-Ro terminates at Surtkal and not Thokur. There are also loading points at Verna and Ankola.

Ro-Ro service is between Kolad and Thokur

For a trucker its cook, eat & sleep. it is a regular practice but once i had witnessed at Udupi, a cop arguing with the truck driver who was cooking food on board, trying to convince truck man not to use stoves when on board.

from where to where this ro-ro service is given?