Close on the heels of Yeshwantpur-Karwar tri-weekly express becoming the first train to be hauled by an electric loco between Mangaluru Junction and Karwar from Wednesday, the train will be speeded up by 50 minutes on the stretch with effect from January 24.
Chief Public Relations Officer of South Western Railway E. Vijaya in a release here announced revision of timings of the train between Mangaluru Junction and Karwar. There would be no change in timings of the train between Yeshwantpur and Bantwal however. The train would reach Karwar by 10.30 p.m. instead of 11.20 p.m.
Train No. 16515 would arrive Mangaluru Junction at 4.35 p.m. instead of 4.40 pm and depart at 4.45 p.m. instead of 5 p.m; it leaves Surathkal at 5.32 p.m.; Udupi at 6.02 p.m.; Kundapur at 6.32 p.m.; Byndoor at 7.06 p.m.; Bhatkal at 7.30 p.m.; Murdeshwar at 7.46 p.m.; Honnavar at 8.12 p.m.; Kumta at 8.42 p.m.; Gokarna Road at 9.04 p.m., and Ankola at 9.24 p.m. to reach Karwar at 10.30 p.m., the release said.
Further scope
The major chunk of reduction however comes between Ankola and Karwar where the train was made to take nearly two hours, leaving Ankola at 9.24 p.m. to reach Karwar at 11.20 p.m. The two hour buffer has now been reduced to one hour thereby allowing the train to reach Karwar at 10.30 p.m.
Rail fans claim there is scope for further speeding up the train as it normally arrives Mangaluru Junction at 4.10 p.m. as against the public timetable of 4.35 p.m. If the train is allowed to depart Junction at 4.20 p.m., it could enter KRCL jurisdiction by 4.45 p.m. and reach Karwar by 10 p.m. SWR authorities should work on this proposal, they demanded.
