The Ministry of Railways has approved a proposal to name Train No. 16595/16596 Bengaluru-Karwar-Bengaluru Express as Panchaganga Express.
In a statement in Mangaluru, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje on July 2 said she had urged the then Minister of State for Railways Suresh C. Angadi to name the train after five rivers in Udupi that come together to join the Arabian Sea near Kundapura, thus getting the name Panchagangavali river.
The Panchagangavali has been the lifeline of people in northern parts of Udupi district by nurturing fishing, agriculture, tourism and pilgrimage, the MP had told the Ministry. Similarly, the Bengaluru-Karwar Express has become the lifeline of the coast and it would be apt to name the train as Panchaganga Express, Ms. Karandlaje said. People in the region had been urging her to get the train named as Panchaganga Express, she said.
The MP thanked the Railway Ministry for positively responding to the sentiments of people in the region.
Five rivers, Souparnika (Kollur), Chakra, Kheta (Kedaka), Kubja and Varahi (Halady) that crisscross Byndoor and Kundapura taluks merge and join the Arabian Sea as Panchagangavali between Gangolli and Kundapura. The mouth of the river at Gangolli has a major fishing port.
The train, which commenced service on March 8, 2020, began skipping Mangaluru following persistent demand by people in the coastal region for speedy train connectivity with Bengaluru. The earlier train service via Mangaluru used to take more than 17 hours for the journey. The new service takes the Padil bypass, and covers the distance between Bengaluru and Karwar in less than 14 hours.
