At a time when people in the coastal region are demanding amalgamation of the Mangaluru-Madgaon-Mangaluru Intercity Express with the Dadar-Madgaon-Dadar Jan Shatabdi Express or its extension to Dadar, the Intercity Express appears to have come under the threat of permanent cancellation of its service.
On Friday evening, Southern Railway announced that Train No 22636/22635 Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Intercity Express would be cancelled for 25 days from the following day itself ostensibly to facilitate electrification work between Mangaluru Junction and Panambur.
This angered many rail patrons who approached Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and senior Railway officials.
Railfan Gautam Shetty from Kundapur said that hundreds of people travelled between Goa and the coastal districts in the State during Navaratri celebrations by the Intercity Express and the cancellation of service would severely affect their travel plans.
Eventually, Southern Railway had to rescind the cancellation notification and operate the Intercity Express from Sunday postponing its departure at Mangaluru to 8.45 a.m. instead of at 8.15 a.m. In November 2015, Southern Railway cancelled the services of this train for 30 days to facilitate pit-line modification works at Mangaluru Central. Despite rumours that the train would be permanently cancelled, the services resumed thereafter. KRCL had, in 2017, recommended to the Railway Board to cancel the train citing poor patronage. The Board, however, did not take any decision.
The train was introduced six years ago at the behest of the then Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP K. Jayaprakash Hegde. West Coast Rail Yatri Abhivriddhi Samithi convener Anil Hegde said that contrary to the demand for a train leaving Madgaon early in the morning and leaving Mangaluru in the afternoon, the Intercity Express was introduced leaving Mangaluru at 8.15 a.m. and Madgaon at 4.15 p.m.
As such, the morning service does not have much patronage as the Mangaluru-Madgaon Passenger and the Bengaluru-Karwar Express leave the city before the Intercity Express does. Mr. Shetty said that its patronage could increase if halts were provided at Murdeshwar and Gokarna Road.
With Mangaluru not having any direct train to West Mumbai, the Intercity Express should either be extended to Dadar or be amalgamated with the Dadar-Madgaon Jan Shatabdi Express (Train 12051/12052), Mr. Shetty and Mr. Hegde said. Though KRCL had sent the proposal to the Railway Board, a decision is yet to be taken, they said.
