Rail services drifting away from villages since Covid, rural passengers bear the brunt
Converted passenger trains, cancelled services and inconvenient timings leave villages along Kalaburagi–Vijayapura–Solapur routes with limited rail connectivity
CH NEWS KALABURAGI Once a vital transport lifeline for rural communities, passenger trains have gradually disappeared from several village railway stations since the Covid-19 pandemic, affecting daily wage workers, farmers, students, patients and employees dependent on affordable travel. Passengers and local organisations said several ordinary services had either been cancelled or converted into express trains, which generally skip smaller stations. As a result, villages along the Kalaburagi–Vijayapura–Solapur routes have been left with fewer convenient rail options. The Solapur–Wadi DEMU (71451), which leaves Solapur at 12.25 am and reaches Wadi around 4.05 am, is among the services passengers want rescheduled. They said the timing was inconvenient for ordinary travellers and suggested that the train leave Solapur around 6 am. The Daund–Kalaburagi Fast Passenger (01421) departs Daund at 5 am and reaches Kalaburagi at 11.20 am. Its return service, train 01422, leaves Kalaburagi at 4.10 pm, leaving the rake idle for nearly four-and-a-half hours. Passengers have suggested extending the service to Yadgir during this period, with halts at all stations, pointing out that there is no passenger service on the route for several hours. The cancellation of the Solapur–Guntakal DEMU (71301) has also affected regular commuters, they said. Akhil Karnataka Dalit Sena State president Dattatreya R. Kudaki said the organisation had repeatedly approached railway authorities seeking restoration of passenger services and halts at all stations. “We submitted representations to the MP and Solapur DRM in August 2024. A representation was also submitted to Union Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna in June 2025 and to the General Manager of Central Railway, Mumbai, on September 11 this year. However, there has been no relief,” Kudaki said. Passengers said restoring ordinary services and introducing practical timings would particularly benefit rural residents who cannot afford frequent private transport.
