Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel on Thursday urged the Railway Ministry to either form a separate Mangaluru Railway Division or bring the Mangaluru Railway Area under South Western Railway (SWR) for the overall development of coastal Karnataka region.
Participating in a discussion on the demands for grants for Railway Ministry in Lok Sabha, Mr. Kateel said though train services to Mangaluru started in 1907, coastal region did not witness much progress in terms of facilities and infrastructure being under the Southern Railway (SR). As such, Mangaluru Railway Area, administered by three zones, SR, South Western Railway (SWR) and Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) should be brought under one administration, he said.
“We have identified Mangaluru Junction Railway Station to set up Divisional Headquarters office,” the MP said adding enough land was available in the location. If necessary, State government’s financial support may be sought to set up the division, he said.
World class station
Stating that the century-old Mangaluru Central Station was in dire need of a revamp, the MP urged the Ministry to completely overhaul the station complex.
Meanwhile, the Railways should expedite construction of two new platforms, No. 4 and 5 at Central as the present work pace was very slow. New platforms would enhance train handling capacity at Central.
Besides, the Railways should undertake doubling and electrification of Mangaluru-Bengaluru line, he said.
Mr. Kateel urged the Ministry to introduce a new train between Mangaluru and Bidar via Hassan, Chitradurga, Ballari and Mantralaya Road to offer connectivity with North Karnataka for development of tourism, education and pilgrimage. A direct service from Mangaluru to Tirupati too was needed, besides another train to Rameswaram via Palakkad, Madurai.
Besides seeking regularisation of Vijayapura-Mangaluru Special Train, Mr. Kateel demanded extending Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Junction-Yeshwantpur tri-weekly Gomateshwara Express to Mangaluru Central.
At the same time, Mangaluru-Madgaon Intercity Express (22636/22635) should be extended to Mumbai Thane or CSMT, the MP said.