Mysuru MP Pratap Simha wants the Mysuru-Bengaluru Tipu Express to be renamed Wodeyar Express in recognition of the contribution of the Wadiyars to the development of the region.
In a letter to Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mr. Simha said the contribution of the Wadiyars of Mysuru to the development of railways was immense and listed some of the initiatives taken for the development of rail infrastructure in the princely State of Mysore by the Wadiyars.
He said to honour the legacy of the 24th ruler of Mysore State, who incidentally was instrumental in the expansion of the railway network in Karnataka, the government of Karnataka has sent a recommendation to the Union Home Ministry to rename Mysuru Junction Railway Station as Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar Mysuru Junction.
Mr. Simha said that there was also a strong sentiment among the people in his constituency to rename Train Number 12614/12613 Superfast Daily Express (Tipu Express) between Mysuru and Bengaluru as ‘Wodeyar Express’.
He went on to claim that there was ‘strong and widespread resentment’ that a premier train commencing its journey from Mysuru – which was the seat of power of the erstwhile Wadiyar dynasty – has been named after a person whom Mr. Simha described as a ’controversial ruler’.
Mr. Simha did not name Tipu anywhere in the letter and mentioned only the train number. He said there was no railway system during his period nor is there historical evidence to recall his contribution to the development of State.
However, railway activists seeking better infrastructure and additional services said Tipu Express was introduced in the early 1980s and has been running since the days of the metre gauge, and there is no demand to rename the train. However, the contribution of the Wadiyars was immense. They proposed introducing another train between the two cities and naming it Wodeyar Express.
