Bengaluru-Karwar Vande Bharat train to start in November
CH NEWS, Udupi Railway passengers in Karnataka's coastal and Malenadu regions have received welcome news, with the Bengaluru-Karwar and Bengaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat train services expected to begin in the third week of November. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has assured Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary that the much-awaited trains will be brought to Mangaluru for their launch during the third week of November. The assurance came during a meeting between Poojary, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna at Rail Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday. During the meeting, the MP thanked the ministers for approving the Vande Bharat services connecting Bengaluru with the coastal region through Mangaluru and Udupi to Karwar and Madgaon. Poojary also raised several important railway development issues affecting Karnataka's coastal districts. He urged the Centre to consider merging the financially struggling Konkan Railway Corporation with Indian Railways to accelerate infrastructure development and railway line doubling works. He pointed out that financial difficulties faced by Konkan Railway had affected the pace of several development projects. He requested the Centre to hold discussions with the governments of Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra to facilitate the merger. The MP informed the ministers that the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Maharashtra had expressed their support for the proposal. Vaishnaw responded positively and assured that he would give special attention to the matter. Poojary also sought the introduction of a daily Intercity train between Chikkamagaluru and Bengaluru to improve connectivity and benefit regular commuters. The Railway Minister assured him that necessary steps would be taken to examine the demand. Additionally, the MP urged the authorities to expedite the construction of railway underpasses and overpasses at various locations in Chikkamagaluru district. The proposed Vande Bharat services are expected to improve connectivity between Bengaluru and Karnataka's coastal destinations, benefiting tourists, business travellers and daily passengers.
