New night train between M’luru-B’luru

Team Udayavani, Jan 30, 2019, 3:10 AM IST

• For now three times a week; soon daily transport expected

Mangaluru: The South Western Railways (SWR) has decided start another night train between IT city Bengaluru and Karavali’s financial gateway Mangaluru. This can be considered as a new year’s gift for the Karavali region.  

The train will begin its run in a few days and currently, proper arrangements and technical permission process are in motion. For now the train will be functioning 3 times a week but from March onwards, it is expected to be running daily.

SWR has already finalized the timetable for the train and submitted to the railway council on Jan 24^th. As soon as it is accepted, the train shall begin its run.

According to the proposed timetable, the train will commence its journey from Yeswanthpur on every Friday, Sunday and Tuesday at 4:30 pm in the evening. It will begin its journey from Mangaluru Central Railway station (MAQ) on every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday at 7 pm in the evening and reach Yeswanthpur railway station at 4:30 am in the dawn, the next day.

As per the proposed timetable, it will take 11:30 hrs from Bengaluru and 9:30 hrs from Mangaluru to travel the distance of 364 kms. The train coming from Bengaluru is delayed by up to two hours because of crossing of other trains and as precaution in the Ghat section.

Presently two trains function

Presently, Yeswanthpur Express train leaves from Mangaluru Central Railway station at 8:55 pm in the night daily, and reached Bengaluru at 7:30 am in the morning. This trains goes for 3 days via Mysuru and 4 days via Shravanabelagola. Gomateshwara Express commences its journey from Mangaluru Junction daily (except Sunday) at 11:30 am in the forenoon, reaches Bengaluru at 8:30 pm in the night and travels via the route of Shravanabelagola.

New train for Tirupati!

MP Nalin‘s demand that the daily train between Tirupati and Hassan be extended to Mangaluru to provide the opportunity for daily transport from here has been accepted by the railway department. If this train passes through Mangaluru, then it will be useful for people travelling towards Tirupati. Soon, a final decision is expected to be taken in connection to this.

Currently, Kachiguda Express leaves from Mangaluru Central on Wednesday and Saturday at 8:15 pm in the night and reaches Renigantu near Tirupati at 1 pm in the afternoon the next day. Vivek Express train which travels between Mangaluru Central and Santrgacchi in Kolkata commences its journey at 11 pm in the night and reaches Tirupati at 1:30 pm in the afternoon. Navayuga Express which leaves to Jammu starts its journey at 5 pm in the afternoon from Central and reaches Tirupati at 9:30 am in the morning.

Get adjusted to the time

Western Karavali Railway Passenger Development committee president Hanumath Kamath spoke with ‘Udayavani’ and said, “A few may be disturbed by the new train leaving from Bengaluru. But the service needs to be accepted with the happiness that Karavali is getting a new train. There is opportunity to change the timings, a few days after the train service begins. If we protest now, we may not even get the coming train,” he explained.

Another inter-city train during the day

The railway department had come forward to start another inter-city day train. It has been aimed to start the train between Mangaluru-Bengaluru in the similar model to the Mangaluru-Madgaon and other trains. It will be in the model of a ‘Chair Car’.

New train; Department agrees

“The department has agreed for a new train between Mangaluru and Bengaluru. The timetable is expected to be finalized within a week. In a few days, a new express train will function on experimental basis for three days in a week. March onwards, it will functioning daily,” said Nalin Kumar Kateel DK MP