Dakshina Kannada MP and State BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel urged Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav to construct a new spacious building of international standards for Mangaluru Central Railway Station.
At a meeting with the Minister in New Delhi on August 2, Mr. Kateel said the century-old building is inadequate to handle the increased numbers of trains as well as passengers. The building lacks passenger amenities and has become inadequate, he said.
There was also a need to speed up construction of new platforms, and a pitline to facilitate handling of more trains, he told Mr. Vaishnav. Though funds were made available, the work has not gained momentum, he said.
Mangaluru Junction Railway Station too lacks facilities, he told the Minister and requested to upgrade the station with modern amenities for passengers. Both stations attract heavy footfall and generate considerable revenue for the Railways, he pointed out.
He also demanded construction of a new four-lane railway overbridge on Vivekananda College Road, Nehru Nagar in Puttur, and a foot overbridge at Meenakaliya, Baikampady, on the railway line to New Mangalore Port.
He sought re-introduction of Mahalaxmi Express between Mangaluru and Miraj via Hassan, and introduction of new trains from Mangaluru to Tirupati and Chennai, both via Hassan.
The MP sought merger of Hassan-Mangalore Rail Development Corporation Ltd., that was founded for construction of a broad gauge line between Hassan and Mangaluru, with South Western Railway. He pointed out that the entity, a joint venture of Indian Railways and the Karnataka government, has served its purpose.