Mangaluru (TNN): The daily express train between Bengaluru-Mangaluru announced by former Union railway minister DV Sadananda Gowda in the 2014 budget is unlikely to become a reality. Reason: The rules set forth in year 2000 will have to be modified for the opening of the railway line for public carriage. This modification is required to help achieve a higher line capacity to accommodate more trains on the Hassan-Mangaluru route.
The major problem on the Ghat route is the absence of catch sidings (the area on approaching side of station for arriving trains) at two of the four stations. Of the four stations en route from Hassan to Mangaluru, namely Siribagilu, Donigal, Kadagaravalli and Yedakumeri, the last two do not have the catch sidings since they are in the grade 1 in 400 (steep incline in railway terms).
The catch sidings cannot be provided at the two stations due to forest lands and other constraints, states a letter written by P G Rao, chief operations manager, South Western Railway to Railway Board in August last year.
Rao also writes that in case provision can be made for locomotives fitted with AEB (auto-emergency brakes) suitable modification to rules can help opening up the Hassan-Mangaluru line for more passenger trains.
Railway activist Anil Hegde says that six goods trains run on this line at present. Without provision of catch sidings at these two stations, it will be near impossible to operate passenger trains unless rules are modified.
Rao in his recent letter to the Railway Board expressed doubts about the viability of a new train stating that the average occupancy of the tri-weekly train between Karwar-Yeshwantpur is 64% between Yeshwantpur to Karwar and 23% in the opposite direction. In view of this, Rao states to the Railway Board whether commencing this train (day train) can be deferred till such time the issues related with relaxation in the Ghat section are resolved.
When this development was brought to the notice of Gowda, now the Union law minister, he said: "I'm not aware of this issue. Since it has been brought to my notice, I will talk to the authorities concerned to sort it out," he said.
