The Southern Railway on Monday announced the new timetable effective from November 1 in which two new trains are proposed to be run via Mangaluru.
They are the bi-weekly Antyoda Express (all unreserved coaches) between Mangaluru Junction and Kochuveli and a weekly Humsafar Express (all 3-tier AC coaches) between Gandhidham and Tirunelveli.
Train No 19424 Gandhidham-Tirunelveli Weekly Humsafar Express leaves Gandhidham on Mondays at 1.50 p.m., leaves Mangaluru Junction at 7.40 p.m. on Tuesdays to reach Tirunelveli at 11.30 a.m. on Wednesdays. Train No 19423 Tirunelveli-Gandhidham Weekly Humsafar Express leaves Tirunelveli at 7.45 am on Thursdays, leaves Mangaluru Junction at 10.10 p.m. and reaches Gandhidham at 4.40 a.m. on Saturdays.
Train No 16356 Mangaluru Junction-Kochuveli (Thiruvananthapuram) bi-weekly Antyodaya Express leaves Mangaluru Junction at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays to reach Kochuveli at 8.15 a.m. the next day. Train No 16355 Kochuveli-Mangaluru Junction bi-weekly Antyodaya Express leaves Kochuveli at 9.25 p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays to reach Mangaluru Junction at 9.15 a.m. the next day. It would have 18 coaches in all.
The dates of introducing these trains would be notified later, Southern Railway said.
Trains speeded up
Train No 17605 Mangaluru Central-Kacheguda (Hyderabad) bi-weekly Express (Wednesdays and Saturdays), which takes 31.30 hours, would now complete the journey to reach Kacheguda in 27.40 hours from November 1.
It leaves Mangaluru Central at 8.15 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. and reach Kacheguda at 11.50 p.m. the next day instead of 3.30 a.m. on the third day.
Train No 16857 Puducherry-Mangaluru Central Weekly Express is speeded up by 75 minutes to reach Mangaluru Central at 9.55 a.m. as against 11.10 a.m. Train No 16858 Mangaluru Central-Puducherry Weekly Express is speeded up by 15 minutes.
Train No 16859/16860 Chennai Egmore-Mangaluru Central-Chennai Egmore Express are speeded up by 60 minutes and 40 minutes, respectively. It leaves Egmore at 11.15 p.m. to arrive at Mangaluru Central at the existing 9.45 p.m.
Departure at Mangaluru Central has been postponed by 10 minutes, 6.55 a.m. so as the arrival time at Egmore by 30 minutes (4.15 a.m).
Train No 16650/16649 Nagercoil Junction-Mangaluru Central-Nagercoil Junction Parasuram Express are speeded up by 25 and 20 minutes, respectively by advancing arrival at Mangaluru Central to 8.15 p.m. and postponing the departure at Mangaluru Central to 5.25 a.m.
Train No 16606/16605 Nagercoil Junction-Mangaluru Central-Nagercoil Junction Ernad Express too are speeded by 15 and 10 minutes, respectively.
Not much for State
Rail users in the State, however, regretted that people here have little to cheer about Southern Railway’s new timetable.
Neither Train No 16575/576 Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Junction-Yeshwantpur tri-weekly Gomateshwara Express has been made daily as per the 2014 Railway Budget announcement nor has it been extended to Mangaluru Central, regretted S. Yogendra from Mysuru Grahakara Parishat.
Similarly, no new trains were announced connecting Mangaluru with cities in the hinterland, including Hubballi and Kalaburagi, he again regretted.
