The Bengaluru–Hassan new railway line, construction of which was completed in January, would be opened for passenger traffic likely on March 26.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda are expected to inaugurate the new line by flagging off Yeshwantpur–Hassan Inter-City Express from Yeshwantpur station.
South Western Railway’s chief public relations officer E. Vijaya said the inauguration date has been tentatively fixed.
The 166-km new line was sanctioned by Mr. Gowda when he was the Prime Minister in 1996–97. The project took over two decades for completion.
Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle) A.K. Manoharan, who inspected the new line between Nelamangala and Shravanabelagola (110 km) between February 6 and 10 issued authorisation to SWR on February 20 to run passenger trains on the sector.
Passenger trains are running between Bengaluru and Nelamangala, and Hassan and Shravanabelagola following early completion of the stretches.
The SWR has also proposed to run the Bengaluru–Mangaluru Central–Bengaluru Kudla Express, announced in the 2014–15 Railway Budget by the then Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on the new line, initially as a tri-weekly service. It would also operate a DEMU train as a passenger service on Yeshwantpur–Hassan–Yeshwantpur route.
Meanwhile, there is demand from Mangalureans to start Kudla Express from Mangaluru Central early in the morning instead of the proposed departure timing of 10.50 a.m. so that it reaches Bengaluru by 4 p.m. From Yeshwantpur, it departs at 7 a.m. to reach Mangaluru Central at 4 pm.
