Mangaluru (The Hindu): Mangaluru Central second entrance to be taken up at Rs. 6.74 crore. Coastal Karnataka has got little to cheer from the Railway Budget 2016-17 presented by Minister for Railways Suresh P. Prabhu on Thursday, except for two line doubling projects.

The Minister sanctioned doubling of 1.5 km line between Netravathi Cabin and Mangaluru Central Railway Station at a cost of Rs. 18.93 crore. The present single line on this stretch has been hampering smooth entry and exit of trains from and to the South thereby preventing introduction of more trains in the section.

The budget also sanctioned doubling of the line between Subrahmanya Road Station and Sakleshpur at a cost of Rs. 500 crore.

If the project comes through, it would help enhanced movement of trains, both freight and passenger, between coastal Karnataka and the hinterland, including Bengaluru region.

The benefits of line doubling would coincide with the commissioning of Bengaluru-Hassan new line thereby providing the shortest route between Mangaluru and Bengaluru.

At the same time, the budget also allocated Rs. 171 crore, including Rs. 80 crore from the State government, towards the cost of Bengaluru-Hassan new line construction.

A second entrance to Mangaluru Central Railway Station from the Attavar side too has been sanctioned to be taken up at a cost of Rs. 6.74 crore. The second entrance would reduce the burden on the main entrance to the Central station and also offer easy connectivity to the southern parts of the city.

The budget did not address the demand for construction of two more platforms at Mangaluru Central Railway Station and the one for reintroduction of Mangaluru-Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Express via Hassan and Arsikere. One would have to see whether the Railway Board would take decisions on introducing new trains on its own as done during 2015-16.

A loop line from Kankanady (Mangaluru Junction) to Thokur is also proposed through South Western Railway at a cost of Rs. 10 crore.

Photo credit: The Hindu