Karnataka - Mangalore   

Day-train to Bangalore from tomorrow

— Photo: R. Eswarraj

NATURE’S GIFT: The day-train between Mangalore and Bangalore will provide the passengers with an opportunity to experience the ride through many tunnels in the Western Ghat section such as this one.

MANGALORE: The long-standing demand of the people of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, and thousands of families in Bangalore and other cities which frequent Mangalore, for a day-train will be met on Saturday.

Union Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa will flag off the tri-weekly Mangalore-Yeshwanthpur Express Train (number 6515/6516) at the central railway station here on Saturday at 8.40 a.m.

Although the train is expected to run every day, its operation, at present, has been curtailed to three days a week. Railway officials said that only one rake with 18 coaches was ready as of now and the frequency of the train would be increased in the days to come.

The day-train between Mangalore and Bangalore was among the 47 new trains announced in the Railway Budget of 2005-06. It was originally announced that the train would run immediately after gauge conversion was completed. But, the people had to wait for more than three years after the new track was opened, albeit for goods traffic.

South Western Railway officials told The Hindu that the reservation of seats for the inaugural and subsequent trains were likely to be opened by Friday morning.

With only one night-train introduced between the port city and the State capital sometime ago, various organisations and commuters had been demanding introduction of the day train.

Besides providing an opportunity to view the scenic beauty of the Western Ghats through which the train passes, the new train is expected to reduce the journey time between Mangalore and Bangalore. It reaches the capital city by using a short route as it is scheduled to pass through Arsikere, unlike the night-train, which passes through Mysore.

The night-train covers a distance of 450 km compared to the day-train’s 400 km. The day-train passes through Arsikere and Tumkur. The journey time taken by the night-train from Mangalore, as per the time table, is 12 hours whereas the day-train is expected to take 10 hours and 25 minutes. It is hoped that the pressure on the night train, which is well patronised, will ease with the introduction of the day service. Commuters destined to visit places such as Kukke Subrahmanya and Hassan will benefit from the day-train. People from north Karnataka, many of whom frequently visit the temple town of Udupi, might find it convenient to visit Mangalore through Arsikere.

South Western Railway (SWR) General Manager Kuldeep Chaturvedi had told a 12-member delegation, which met him at Hubli on June 30, that the day-train would be a reality in two months. This train is being introduced within the timeline suggested by Mr. Chaturvedi.

The introduction of the train comes after the announcement of extension of the night train up to Kannur in northern Kerala, which has been strongly opposed by the people and organisations in Mangalore. The protesters contended that the extension would deprive the people of an opportunity to book more than 200 berths as the train would not originate from Mangalore.

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