Coastal Talk News | Udupi
There has been a systematic spread of misinformation on social media suggesting that Bengaluru-Karwar trains are “bypassing Mangaluru” though trains are travelling in main line of city. This is to create a misconception that every train must necessarily enter Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction, and that Vande Bharat Express services are meant exclusively for Mangaluru Central and that Udupi-Karwar passengers should not avail themselves of this train service.
In a press communique, Ganesh Putran, member of the Konkan Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (KRUCC) and President, Kundapura Railway Association stated that the association strongly rejects this narrow minded narrative and wishes to place the facts before the public.
“Mangalore does not just includes Mangalore Junction or Central. Coastal Karnataka is not limited to Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction. It is a vast coastal region extending nearly 300 kilometres from the Mangaluru towards Karwar, encompassing numerous important towns, educational institutions, industrial centres, tourism destinations and passenger catchments.
At the same time, Mangaluru city has a network of multiple railway stations-Bantwal, Farangipete (proposed), Padil (Cabin), Jokatte and Suratkal/Mangaluru North-spread across different parts of the urban area. Commuters can easily reach any part of Mangaluru from these stations with just 15 minutes of additional travel time compared to getting down at Mangaluru Central.
A Mangaluru-bound commuter from Bengaluru line who gets down at Bantwal can reach Mangaluru Central in 20 minutes, whereas a train takes 1 hour to travel from Bantwal to Hampankatta station. Udupi-Karwar commuter spend 2-3 hours while returning back including loco reversal and signal clearance including platform availability.
Mangaluru-based railway associations are fully entitled to demand any number of new trains and services for Mangaluru. However, it cannot be claimed that every Festival Special, Vande Bharat or other train serving Coastal Karnataka must necessarily enter Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction first when special train is already passing through other stations of Mangalore, while the requirements of passengers from the rest of the coastal region are treated as secondary.
A Festival Special operating on the direct Bantwal-Jokatte-Suratkal line still takes 18 hours and cannot realistically be expected to enter and serve every station within Mangaluru city. The issue becomes much more significant when a train bound for Udupi, Kundapur or Karwar is required to enter Mangaluru Junction or Mangaluru Central. Such a diversion can result in a 2–3 hour loss due to loco reversal, signalling requirements, platform availability and subsequent movement over the single-line sections of Konkan Railway.
No modern railway system can justify spending several additional hours moving into and out of the same city for onward journey train which has nearly 300 km left to travel. Instead of insisting that every long-distance train enter Mangaluru Junction and Central, the focus should be on strengthening and improving stations on the main line-such as Farangipete, Padil and Jokatte-so that they can provide better access to Mangaluru while simultaneously serving passengers from the wider coastal belt. Rajeev Gaonkar, secretary, Uttara Kannada Railway Seva Samithi also voiced the same opinion and added amalgamation of Mangaluru railway territory with South Western Railway should be viewed to improve the operational efficiency and connectivity of the entire Coastal Karnataka railway network.
It should not be interpreted as establishing Mangaluru Junction and Central as the compulsory stations for every train passing through the region, irrespective of its destination or the travel requirements of thousands of passengers from Udupi, Kundapur, Karwar and other parts of Coastal Karnataka. MP, MLAs too have clearly mentioned in various letters that after slow run of train in ghat section, trains again cannot waste 2-3 hours just to cater Mangalore city.
