Demand for change in Bengaluru-Mangaluru train timings

Bengaluru: Commuters and activists demand that the South Western Railways (SWR) change the timings of the day train service between Mangaluru and Bengaluru. The commuters are complaining that the departure and arrival timings of day trains are not convenient to the public.

Train No. 06211, Yeshwantpur-Karwar tri-weekly special on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Train No. 06575, Yeshwantpur- Mangaluru Junction Gomateshwara tri-weekly special on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Train No. 06539 weekly express special on Saturdays, leave Yeshwantpur at 7 a.m. and reach Mangaluru Junction at 5 p.m.

Speaking to The Hans India, Krishna Prasad, a railway activist, says, "train starting at 7 am from Bengaluru is too early for the Bengaluru commuters to reach Yeshwantpur station and starting at 11 am for Mangaluru and reaching Bengaluru at 8.30 pm is too late. They should be able to leave Yeshwantpur at 8.30 a.m. and form Mangaluru at 9.30 and to reach Bengaluru before 7 pm. This timing will definitely help commuters to plan accordingly."

The pairing trains, Train No. 06212 Karwar-Yeshwantpur tri-weekly special on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and Train No. 06576 Mangaluru Junction-Yeshwantpur Gomateshwara tri-weekly special on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, leave Mangaluru Junction at 11.30 a.m. and reach Yeshwantpur at 8.20 p.m. while Train No. 0654 Mangaluru Junction-Yesvantpur weekly express leaves Mangaluru at 9.15 a.m. and reaches Yeshwantpur 8.05 p.m.

"The only thing that railways can work out is to increase the train speed from Bengaluru to Sakleshpur and then in return from Mangaluru to Subrahmanya Road Ghat to match the timings. Because crossing of Up and Down trains on Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section of 55 km, railways have the permission to run at a 30 kilometer speed, speeding up in this junction is impossible. Speeding up before reaching this junction is better to match timings, also reaching Mangaluru timing is fixed as it comes under Southern Railway and they won't agree for new timings," Krishna Prasad added.

While travelling from Mangaluru, the Ghat section begins from Subrahmanya Road located at an altitude of about 110 m above MSL. From here, the trains climb up to the height of 889 m, at an average speed of 30 kmph to reach Sakleshpur, a small hill-station clad in absolute serenity, cocooned in the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats, en route to Hassan.