With D.V. Sadananda Gowda, who had spearheaded the movement for a separate Railway division for Mangalore, at the helm of affairs in the Ministry of Railways, hopes are high in the region that he would address the anomalies while presenting the budget on Tuesday.
Individuals and various associations have already petitioned the Railway Minister highlighting their demands and render justice to the coastal region which hitherto had been neglected as far as Railways was concerned.
In a recent memorandum to Mr. Gowda and Lok Sabha Member Nalin Kumar Kateel, the Paschima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivridhi Samithi hoped that the coastal region would get its rightful share of new trains and projects besides Mangalore becoming an independent division.
The new trains demanded include, New Delhi-Subrahmanya Road via Mangalore Central and Madgaon, Ahmadabad-Mangalore Central via Madgaon, reintroduction of Mangalore Central-Miraj Mahalakshmi Express via Hubli, Bangalore-Mangalore overnight express via Arsikere, Subrahmanya Road-Varnasi via Mangalore Central and Punvel, Vasco-da-Gama-Mangalore Central passenger train, Subrahmanya Road-Mumbai superfast AC express via Mangalore Central and Mangalore Central-Rameswaram via Shoranur.
Samithi President G. Hanumanth Kamath said that services of the Mahalakshmi Express was discontinued during the gauge conversion between Mangalore and Hassan. It has not been restored after the gauge conversion, he said and demanded immediate restoration for the benefit of travel to Hubli and beyond. Similarly, direct train facility to New Delhi, Ahmadabad etc., are required for speedy commuting, he said.
The Samithi also demanded extension of several existing services, which include, 18047/48 Howrah-Vasco Amaravathi Express to Mangalore Central; 22635/36 Mangalore-Madgaon Intercity Express to Hubli; 16603/04 Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Maveli Express to Kanyakumari; 22907/08 Madgaon-Hapa Express to Mangalore; 16515/16 Yeshwantpur-Karwar Express via Mangalore Central and be made daily service and 12051/52 Dadar-Madgaon Jan Shatabdi to Mangalore.
Infrastructure
Railway infrastructure in the region require drastic augmentation so as to facilitate introduction of new trains and improve facilities to passengers, the Samithi demanded. The Subrahmanya Road Station has the potential to be converted into a terminal station to reduce the burden on Mangalore Central, it said.
Also, 1 km of track between Mangalore Junction and Mangalore Central needs to be doubled to handle more number of trains, it said. Funds should be available to construct two more platforms at Mangalore Central, doubling of track between Mangalore-Thokur and completion of Shravanabelagola-Solur stretch on Bangalore-Hassan new line, it said.
Karwar Express given halt at Yedamangala
The Yeshwantpur-Karwar/Kannur Express was given one-minute halt at Yedamangala station from Saturday thereby fulfilling the long-pending demand of the people in the region.
Minister for Railways D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha Member Nalin Kumar Kateel and Member of Legislative Assembly, Sullia, Angara, had promised to provide halt for the express train at Yedamangala. Earlier, there was no stop for the express train between Subrahmanya Road and Kabaka Puttur, a distance of 42 km. Yedamangala is located in between these two stations and at a distance of 14 km from Subrahmanya Road.
Mr. Nalin and Mr. Angara welcomed the train during its first halt at Yedamangala on Saturday morning along with hundreds of residents of surrounding areas. The train arrived at Yedamangala at 6.06 a.m. and departed at 6.07 a.m.
