Travel to the State capital from Hubballi might take less time as a superfast train to Bengaluru has been proposed and it has also received in-principle approval from the Railway Minister.
Speaking to presspersons after inaugurating a railway underbridge and unveiling Swami Vivekananda’s statue at Hubballi station on Saturday, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had given in-principle approval for a superfast express train between Hubballi and Bengaluru. Mr. Joshi said that already officials of the South Western Railway had been asked to send a proposal regarding the train to the Railway Ministry and the Railway Board.
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The Union Minister said that the proposal had received assent of Mr. Goyal and members of the Railway Board and it would materialise after COVID-19 cases reduced in the State.
Mr. Joshi said that the train was expected to run between the two cities in another six months and the travel time will be reduced to six hours from eight.
Referring to the ongoing electrification of the railway line between Hubballi and Bengaluru, he said that it was likely to be completed in six months. Steps were also on fulfilling the late Union Minister Suresh Angadi’s dream of running a train between Dharwad and Belagavi via Kittur at the earliest, he said.
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Regarding the BJP’s decision to field Mangala Angadi, wife of Mr. Angadi, he said that the decision was taken due to political compulsion and demand from the local leaders.
Winnability factor
He clarified that the situation was different when compared to that of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, wife of late Union Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar. He said that based on the winnability factor, this time the late Minister’s wife had been chosen to contest from Belagavi.