Quickly responding to an SoS by Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta to run special trains between Mangaluru and Bengaluru in view of the snapp road connectivity, the South Western Railway announced the launch of special services between the two cities in Karnataka. SWR will run three services in each direction starting Friday, July 19 night.
According to a notification from the SWR:
- Train No. 06547 KSR Bengaluru-Mangaluru Junction Express Special leaves KSR Bengaluru at 11 p.m. on July 19 Friday, to reach Mangaluru Junction at 11.40 a.m. on Saturday July 20 via Bengaluru Cantonment, Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal-Bengaluru, Chikkabanawara and Nelamangala skipping Yeshwantpur.
- Train No. 06549 Yesvantpur-Mangaluru Junction Express Special leaves Yesvantpur at 12.30 a.m. on July 21 Sunday (after midnight of July 20) and on 22 Monday (after midnight of July 21) to reach Mangaluru Junction at 11.40 a.m. the same day.
- Train No. 06548 Mangaluru Junction-KSR Bengaluru Express Special leaves Mangaluru Junction at 1.40 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, to reach Bengaluru at 11.15 p.m. the same day.
- Train No. 06550 Mangaluru Junction-Yesvantpur Express Special leaves Mangaluru Junction at 1.40 p.m. on July 21 and 22 to reach Yesvantpur at 11.15 p.m. the same day via Nelamangala.
The trains would have six general second class, six second sleeper class, two 3-tier AC, two 2-tier AC and two luggage-cum-brake van coaches. They have commercial halts at Chikkabanavara, Nelamangala, Channapatna, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabaka Puttur and Bantwal.
MP appeals to Railway Ministry
On July 19 morning, Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta wrote a letter to SWR seeking immediate operation of special trains to help people who were affected by the closure of Shiradi and Sampaje Ghats on the main Mangaluru-Bengaluru routes. He followed up with multiple telephone calls to the Ministers and officials concerned to ensure that SWR came out with an action plan.
He drew the attention of SWR to landslides near Sakleshpur blocking movement of vehicles on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway 75 and near Karthoji between Sampaje and Madikeri blocking Mani-Mysuru National Highway 275. While the Hassan district administration has banned vehicular traffic through NH 75, the Kodagu district administration has banned vehicular movement between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on NH 275 till July 22.
With private and KSRTC buses cancelling operations between the coast and Bengaluru, thousands of people are stranded, the MP wrote.
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