Karnataka may get a few new trains during poll year

Announcements likely during commissioning of Bengaluru-Mysuru rly. electrification by Narendra Modi this month-end or first week of Feb.

A new rake of Humsafar train that will run from Mysuru to a long-distance destination that will be announced later by the Prime Minister remains stabled at the Mysuru New Goods Terminal Yard at Mysuru.

 

The long awaited commissioning of Bengaluru-Mysuru double line electrification is likely to be done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the State on January 28.

With ensuing State Assembly elections, the Prime Minister is also likely to announce a few new trains, including Humsafar Express from Mysuru. Sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Mr. Modi would be attending the valedictory of the Parivartana rally of the State BJP. He may combine an official programme with the party programme.

Though the Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle) had authorised South Western Railway (SWR) to operate electric loco-hauled trains between Bengaluru and Mysuru on December 14, 2017, the same was not commissioned ostensibly awaiting clearance from the Prime Minister’s Office.

This is nothing but criminal waste of public money, quipped K.N. Krishna Prasad, a rail enthusiast from Bengaluru who said the cost of operating a diesel-loco train is more than double the cost of operating an electric-loco hauled train. While a diesel loco guzzles diesel worth about Rs. 42,000 between Bengaluru and Mysuru, an electric loco would consume electricity worth about Rs. 17,000, he noted.

Lokesh, another rail enthusiast from Bengauru, said SWR should not have delayed operating electric loco-hauled trains on the section.

New trains

Meanwhile, the PMO has reportedly taken keen interest in announcing a few new trains during the commissioning of the line and has taken details from SWR and the Railway Board.

Sources in SWR told The Hindu that at least one conventional rake of four passenger trains operating between the two cities would be replaced by a Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU), to begin with. Though SWR has received three sets of MEMU with 8 cars each, the engineering department has to form a new rake with 16 cars. Unlike formation of conventional rakes with coupling method, forming a MEMU rake is quite difficult and takes more time. Once a 16-car rake is formed, another 16-car MEMU rake would be formed using available cars in the zone. Totally, two sets of passenger trains would be replaced with MEMU rakes.

Humsafar Express

Even as a new Humsafar Express rake has arrived at Mysuru, the PMO is yet to finalise the destination to which it would operate from Mysuru, the sources said.

The Railway Board has taken SWR’s feedback on operating this all 3-tier AC train with 16 coaches train to Kacheguda, Kochuveli, Howrah, Vijayawada, Guwahati and Chennai, sources added.

Meanwhile, FKCCI member Prakash Mandoth has urged Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to run this train to Udaipur as the other six cities are well connected with Karnataka. If run to Udaipur, the train will traverse 800 km covering 11 districts in Karnataka, he said.