The Paschima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivriddhi Samithi has offered two alternatives to the Southern Railway to extend the Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Junction-Yeshwantpur tri-weekly Gomateshwara Express to Mangaluru Central.
In a letter to Southern Railway’s Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager, samithi president G. Hanumanth Kamath has stated that many people did not prefer to travel by the Gomateshwara Express as the train was being run from Mangaluru Junction.
The average bookings had been just 37 %. If the train is operated from Mangaluru Central, it would be beneficial to passengers as well as the Railways, Mr. Kamath said.
He suggested that if stabling lines (parking space) was not available for Gomateshwara Express at Mangaluru Central, the train may be stabled overnight at Mangaluru Junction and brought back to Mangaluru Central for its departure. If platforms are not available at 11.15 a.m. (since its existing departure at Mangaluru Junction is at 11.30 a.m.), the train may be despatched any time between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., whenever platforms are available, Mr. Kamath suggested.
This will also help people from Mangaluru reach Bengaluru earlier than the present 8.30 p.m. schedule. The practice of stabling trains in a nearby station and operating them from another is in vogue at many cities, he pointed out.
If Southern Railway finds it difficult to stable Gomateshwara Express at Mangaluru Junction, the zone may consider extending Coimbatore-Mangaluru Central-Coimbatore Fast Passenger (56323/56324) to Mangaluru Junction.
The train, leaving Coimbatore at 7.30 a.m. reaches Mangaluru Central at 6.50 p.m. and remains stabled overnight at Mangaluru Central itself. If this train is extended to Mangaluru Junction, the stabling line could be utilised to park Gomateshwara Express.
Extending the Coimbatore Fast Passenger to Mangaluru Junction would also provide connectivity to passengers coming from the North to reach smaller stations in the Malabar region where express trains do not stop. Such passengers can board the Coimbatore Fast Passenger at Mangaluru Junction, Mr. Kamath said.
