Train patrons in Mangaluru have urged the Railways to modify timings of the day train service between Mangaluru and Bengaluru. The departure and arrival timings of day trains are not convenient to the travelling public and, hence, they should be revised, the patrons have told South Western Railway.
G.K. Bhat, a rail activist, in a letter to SWR said Train No. 06211, Yeshwantpur-Karwar tri-weekly special on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Train No. 06575, Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Junction Gomateshwara tri-weekly special on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Train No. 06539 weekly express special on Saturdays leave Yeshwantpur at 7 a.m. to reach Mangaluru Junction at 5 p.m.
The pairing trains, Train No. 06212 Karwar-Yeshwantpur tri-weekly special on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and Train No. 06576 Mangaluru Junction-Yeshwantpur Gomateshwara tri-weekly special on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays leave Mangaluru Junction at 11.30 a.m. to reach Yeshwantpur at 8.20 p.m. while Train No. 0654 Mangaluru Junction-Yeshwantpur weekly express special leaves Mangaluru at 9.15 a.m. to reach Yeshwantpur 8.05 p.m.
Mr. Bhat said 7 a.m. departure time at Yeshwantpur is too early for Bengaluru residents to reach Yeshwantpur from different parts of the city. They should be made to leave Yeshwantpur at 9.30 a.m. to reach Mangaluru Junction at 6.30 p.m. With this timing, crossing of Up and Down trains on Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section too gets avoided, he said.
On the other hand, day trains should start early from Mangaluru Junction to reach Yeshwantpur early so as to help passengers reach their places in different parts of Bengaluru when public transport is available. If their departure timing was advanced to 8.15 a.m., the trains could reach Yeshwantpur by 5.15 p.m., which is a convenient timing for passengers, Mr. Bhat said.
Prakash Suvarna, a rail patron, urged the Railways to extend the day trains to Mangaluru Central as proposed earlier by the Railway Ministry. This, he said, would increase patronage of the services.
