The Railway Ministry has approved a proposal from the South Western Railway to increase the frequency of tri-weekly Bengaluru-Mangaluru overnight express via Mysuru to operate six days a week.
Responding to SWR’s July 27 letter proposing to increase the frequency of Train No. 16585/586, the Ministry on August 17 said it has approved the proposal to increase the frequency to six days a week by regularising the services of Train No. 06547/548 Bengaluru-Mangaluru Express tri-weekly special.
The special train was introduced recently on demand from passengers as Bengaluru-Mangaluru NH 75 was affected by frequent landslips in Sakaleshpur taluk.
The Ministry also said the terminal for the train would be shifted to Sir M Visvesvaraya Station, Baiyappanahalli (SMVB) from the present KSR Bengaluru City Junction. The changes effected by the SWR at an early convenient date, the Ministry added.
Despite terminal shifting, the train will continue to run through Bengaluru City, via Cantonment, City and Kengeri on its erstwhile route.
Extension demand
Meanwhile, demand for the extension of this service till Karwar or Vasco-da-Gama has been gaining momentum. Mysuru MP Pratap Simha has already written a letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav seeking extension to Karwar thereby providing connectivity between two popular tourist destinations of Mysuru and Goa.
Yogendra Swamy from Mysuru Grahaka Parishat said extension of the service to Vasco offers a win-win situation both for SWR and the travelling public. Mysuru did not have direct connectivity with the rest of the coast, including Udupi, Kolluru, Murdeshwar, Gokarna etc., after Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) got Train No. 16523/524 Bengaluru-Karwar overnight express via Mysuru cancelled two years ago.
If need be, SWR could arrange rake sharing between Train Nos. 16585/586 and Train Nos. 17309/310 Yeshwantpur-Vasco-da-Gama-Yeshwantpur Daily Express. Rake of the Vasco-Yeshwantpur express remains idle between 5 am and 10.25 pm and the same could be utilised for the via Mysuru service. The extension would also ensure daily service of the via Mysuru service instead of six days.
Meanwhile, KRCL’s Director (Operations) Santosh Kumar Jha was positive about receiving the via Mysuru Express on KRCL network when a demand was made during his meeting with members of Kundapura Railway Prayanikara Hitarakshana Samithi at Kundapura on Friday, August 19.
