The Railway Ministry has given the green signal for extending the Bengaluru-Kannur Express (train no. 16511/12) up to Kozhikode.
A release from the office of M.K. Raghavan, MP, said on Tuesday that instructions had been given to the Southern Railway and the South-Western Railway to start the service soon.
The train is expected to start from Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Station, Bengaluru, at 9.35 p.m. and reach Kannur at 10.55 a.m. the next day. It will start at 11 a.m. from Kannur and reach Kozhikode at 12.40 p.m. In the return journey, the train will start at 3.30 p.m. from Kozhikode and reach Kannur at 5 p.m. It will reach Bengaluru the next day at 6.35 a.m.
This is the second time that the train is getting extended. In 2009, it was extended from Mangaluru to Kannur. Rail passengers’ associations in coastal Karnataka have expressed displeasure over the latest move, pointing out that it would affect berth availability in reserved classes and seat availability in general coaches.
Mr. Raghavan had been raising the demand to extend the service for the past four years, highlighting shortage of trains from the Malabar region and hardships faced by passengers here. He also raised the issue many times in the Lok Sabha and during meetings with senior Southern Railway officials.
He had met the general manager, South-Western Railway, at its headquarters at Hubballi in October, 2021. Following this, the South-Western Railway clarified that it was not opposed to the extension of the service to Kozhikode. The demand was again raised during a meeting between MPs and Southern Railway officials in February, 2023. Mr. Raghavan later met the Union Railway Minister and Railway Board seeking approval for the change in timetable. He expressed hope that the new service would reduce the rush of passengers on the Kozhikode-Kannur-Kasaragod route in the evenings.
