Only 7 express, two passenger trains for Karnataka in rail budget

Bangalore : The railway budget, presented in parliament by Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal Tuesday, has proposed to introduce only seven express trains and two passenger trains from and within Karnataka in fiscal 2013-14.

According to the South Western Railway (SWR) zone, of the seven express trains, only one from Bangalore to Nagercoil in southern Tamil Nadu will operate daily while the remaining six will run once in a week.

The weekly express trains are from Bangalore to Mangalore, Hubli to Mumbai (via Miraj, Pune), Yesvantpur in Bangalore to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Bangalore to Guwahati (Kamakhya) in Assam (AC coaches), Bangalore to Patna (Patliputra) in Bihar and Yesvantpur to Lucknow.

“The two passenger trains from Bangalore to Marikuppam on Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border and Talaguppa to Shimoga in central region of the state will run daily,” the Hubli-headquartered zonal office said in a statement.

There is, however, no introduction of additional local or push-pull trains across the state.

Of the five express trains whose services are to be extended, four will be to Mysore, including Bagalkote-Yesvantpur (Bangalore) within the state, Darbhanga (Bihar)-Bangalore, Hubli-Bangalore within the state and Solapur (Maharashtra)-Yesvantpur, while Sampark Kranti from Yesvantpur to Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi will be extended to Chandigarh on two days in a week.

Two passenger trains – from Bangalore to Nagore will be extended to Karaikal in Tamil Nadu and from Mysore to Shimoga to Talguppa within the state.

The frequency of Sampark Kranti express from Yesvantpur in Bangalore to Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi has been extended to four days from two days in a week.

Similarly, the six-day passenger train from Bangalore to Tumkur within the state will be run daily from next fiscal.

The budget has also proposed to provide an executive lounge facility at Bangalore city railway station for domestic and foreign tourists.

In terms of rail infrastructure across the state, the budget said three new lines will be completed by the end of fiscal 2012-13 from Hirisave to Shravanabelagola, Kanivehalli to Chickmagalur and partly from Rayadurga to Avuladatta.

Similarly, gauge conversion from Chintamani to Sidlaghatta within the state will be partly completed by next month-end.

Electrification of Ramnagaram-Maddur and Yelahanka to Someshwara is scheduled to be completed during this fiscal.

The budget proposes to complete four new line projects, viz., from Avaludatla to Vedavathy Bridge, Bagalkot to Kakelmatti, Ginigera to Budagumpa and Rayadurga to Avaludatla (partly).

Though no gauge conversion within the state has been envisaged in the next fiscal, doubling of track will be completed from Byadarahalli to Pandavapura, Settihalli to Maddur, Shivani to Hosadurga and Yelahanka to Chennasandra within the state.

“New lines from Chickmagalur to Sakleshpur and from Bangalore to Satyamangalam in Tamil Nadu will be taken up in the new fiscal as the state government has agreed to give land free of cost and 50 percent of the project,” the statement said.

The rail budget has also proposed to take up new lines on socio-economic consideration from Chickballapur to Gowribidanur, Chickballapur to Puttapurthy-Sri Satya Sai Nilayam in Andhra Pradesh, Gadag to Wadi in north Karnataka and Srinivasapura-to Madanapalli in Andhra Pradesh.