Dakshina Kannada MP and State BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel has urged Southern Railway to introduce a fully unreserved express train between Mangaluru Central and Karwar in the morning hours.
There is no train between Mangaluru and Karwar after the departure of Mangaluru-Madgaon Passenger at 5.30 a.m. and before the departure of Mangaluru Central-Mumbai LTT Matsyagandha Express (train no. 12620) at 2.15 p.m., he pointed out. With the Bengaluru-Karwar Tri-weekly Express and the Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Express not being reintroduced even after COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, passengers do not have the option to travel by train towards Karwar in the morning hours and are facing hardship.
In his May 10 letter to the General Manager of Southern Railway, Mr. Kateel noted that the SR had expressed its inability to extend train no. 06491 Charvattur-Mangaluru Central Passenger to Madgaon and that the rake of Charvattur Passenger would progressively be replaced with a Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) rake.
The MP noted that the Charvattur Passenger arriving Mangaluru Central at 8.30 a.m. undergoes primary maintenance at the pit line and gets released at around 3 p.m. The rake remains idle on the stabling line till it moves as Mangaluru Central-Kozhikode Express at 5.10 a.m. the next morning.
It would be a win-win situation for passengers as well as the Railways if the rake of Charvattur Passenger is made to leave Mangaluru Central at 9 a.m. to reach Karwar at 2.30 p.m. and in the return direction to leave Karwar at 2.50 p.m. to reach Mangaluru Central at 8.20 p.m. Its maintenance could be undertaken during the night.
This would enable optimum utilisation of the rake that otherwise remains idle at Central for nearly 20 hours; the space occupied by the rake on the stabling line of the station could be used to stable some other train and boost tourism activities in the region, the MP said.
Even after Charvattur Passenger’s rake gets replaced by MEMU, the Railways would not have any problem utilising the rake for Karwar service as the entire Konkan Railway network is converted to electric traction, he added.
