Users’ associations and consultative committee members have urged Railways to operate Bengaluru-Karwar Express via Mysuru (Train 16523) on the timings of Bengaluru-Karwar Express via Shravanabelagola (Train 16513) between Mangaluru Central and Karwar.
“Presently, Train 16523 (three-days a week service) leaves Mangaluru Central at 9 a.m. to reach Karwar at 2.35 p.m., which is inconvenient to passengers. If it has the timings of Train 16513, leaving Mangaluru Central at 6.20 a.m. and reaching Karwar at 12.30 p.m., passengers will be happy,” said Kunjal Venkatesh Kini, member of National Railway Users’ Consultative Council, in a letter to South Western, Southern and Konkan Railway.
For this, the SWR has to advance the departure timing of 16523 at Bengaluru City, from 8.30 p.m. to 6.50 p.m., to facilitate its early arrival at Mangaluru Central, Mr. Kini said.
To reservations that a path was not available for handing over 16523 to Konkan Railway at Thokur at 6.55 a.m., Mr. Kini said that no other train would be present at that particular time in the section. The departure timing of Train No. 12283 Ernakulam Junction-Hazrath Nizamuddin (Weekly) Express on Wednesdays at Mangaluru Junction may be slightly postponed from 7.10 a.m. to 7.22 a.m. during the Monsoon timetable to accommodate Train 16523, said Anil Hegde, convener of West Coast Rail Yatri Abhivriddhi Sangha.
‘Postpone timings’
Mr. Kini and Mr. Hegde have also urged South Western Railway to postpone the departure timing of Train 16513/511, Bengaluru-Karwar/Kannur via Shravanabelagola, from 7.15 p.m. to 8 p.m. as the present timing is highly inconvenient to Bengaluru residents to board the train.
The train, they said, is detained at Siribagilu Station, between Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road, to facilitate crossing of the Kannur/Karwar-Bengaluru Express and takes three-and-a-half hours to cross the Ghat Section.
Instead of detaining the train at Siribagilu its departure at Bengaluru itself might be delayed by 45 minutes, they said.
Similarly, the departure of Karwar/Kannur-Bengaluru trains at Mangaluru Central too should be advanced to 8.30 p.m. for their early arrival at Bengaluru, at 6.10 a.m. (via Shravanabelagola) and 8 a.m. (via Mysuru), Mr. Kini and Mr. Hegde added.
