Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 5: At a time when hopes of reaching Bengaluru faster through Shravanabelagola are brightening, a new platform has been announced in the union budget for the central railway station here.

If both these things materialise, it would mean meeting of longstanding demands of coastal Karnataka people.

The central government has planned to build new platform and also to undertake tracks doubling work from Netravati cabin to the central station simultaneously. At present, the central station has four platforms through which over 30 trains are being operated every day. So far, the department was pointing out at lack of platforms for initiating additional trains. Senior officials in the railways said that once the new platform is completed, ten additional trains can be operated from here.

Currently, there has been lacklustre response for trains which pass through the Kankanady (junction)_ station without touching the central station. Railway passengers forums have been demanding to extend all these trains to the central station that is located in the hub of the city in order to attract more passengers.  They have been demanding to extend CST(Mumbai)-Mangalore Junction train to central station, and also extend the Kannur-Mangalore Junction-Byndoor passenger train that has been running under loss, till the central  station and also to change the destination to Margao in order to enable more passengers to make use of the train.

In the meanwhile, the 42 km Nelamangala-Shravanabelagola track has been completed, and the Railway Safety Commissioner will inspect this track for safety of running passenger trains between February 6 to 10, it is gathered.