The South Western Railway Passengers’ Welfare Committee has urged the South Western Railway (SWR) to provide additional stops for the Yesvantpur- Katra (Vaishno Devi) weekly premium express at Tumakuru, Arsikere, Chitradurga and Raichur. Committee general secretary Rohit Jain submitted a memorandum in this regard to SWR general secretary Pradeep Saxena. Presently there are no direct trains to Jammu from any part of Karntaka, Mr. Jain said and added that running a premium train with limited stops is not of much use.
The Yesvantpur – Katra premium express does not have stops in Karnataka even though it runs for over 400 km within the State via Tumakuru, Arsikere, Birur, Chitradurga and Raichur. It has a halt only at Ballari, he said.
The tickets can be booked only 15 days in advance as against 60 days for other trains. Considering it is a journey of about 3,500 km, people plan the trip in advance. “So the very purpose of the train is defeated. Premium tickets can only be booked online … common man will be forced to book tickets through agents by paying commission,” he stated.
