Mangaluru: Paschima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivriddhi Samiti has urged Southern Railway to extend train no 16539/40 Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Junction-Yeshwantpur Weekly Express to Mangaluru Central (MAQ), saying the move would significantly benefit passengers travelling between coastal Karnataka and Bengaluru.The committee submitted a memorandum to the divisional railway manager of Palakkad Division.In the memorandum, the committee said the tri-weekly train no 16575/76 and the weekly train no 16539/40 operating between Mangaluru Junction and Yeshwantpur have been an economical and convenient mode of transport for people travelling between the coastal region and the state capital.It said train no 16575/76 was originally planned to operate between Mangaluru Central and Yeshwantpur in 2007. However, owing to platform constraints at Mangaluru Central, the service was introduced between Mangaluru Junction and Yeshwantpur. Railway authorities had then assured the public that the train would be extended to Mangaluru Central after the commissioning of platforms 4 and 5, the committee said.The Samiti said that after the completion of platforms 4 and 5 at MAQ, the Palakkad Division proposed extending the train to MAQ through a communication to the chief passenger transportation manager of Southern Railway, but the proposal has not been implemented.It said operational constraints linked to the Mangaluru-Rameswaram Express may prevent extending the tri-weekly train no 16575/76, but the same constraints do not apply to the weekly train no 16539/40. According to the committee, there is no stabling or receipt of the Rameswaram-Mangaluru Express at Mangaluru Central on Saturdays and Sundays, making it possible to accommodate the weekly service at the station.As an alternative arrangement, the Samiti suggested that train no 16539 Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Junction Weekly Express could arrive at Mangaluru Central on Saturday evenings and be stabled overnight on the vacant stabling line of the Mangaluru-Rameswaram Express. The rake could then operate as Train No. 16540 Mangaluru Central-Yeshwantpur Weekly Express on Sunday mornings.The Samiti said extending the service to Mangaluru Central, located in the heart of the city, would spare passengers the additional expense of travelling by taxi or autorickshaw to Mangaluru Junction.
