The Railway Board on Friday changed the name of the highly popular train between Bengaluru and Mysuru from Tipu Superfast Express to Wodeyar Express, in a move that has received criticism from railway activists.
The news was announced by Mysore MP Pratap Simha on Twitter. The MP shared a letter he wrote to the Railway Minister in July this year.
Tipu Express is a popular train among the public due to the shorter travel period compared with other express trains. The change comes months after Simha met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in February and requested the change in the name. Krishna Prasad of Karnataka Railway Vedike said, “Except for the two stoppages at Mandya and Kengeri, Tipu Express runs without a break. The superfast train takes 2.5 hours compared to more than 3 hours taken by other trains.”
Vedike’s Lokesh T P said, “Changing name from Tipu to Wodeyar or vice versa is not going to bring any benefit for the people. Instead, the MP should have sought a new train during the peak hours which could have carried the name of the Wodeyars.”
A Mysuru-based railway activist told DH, “The MP should have asked for better train services by remodelling the terminals to speed up the trains. There is also scope for a new superfast train to Bengaluru in the morning and a return train to Mysuru in the evening,” he said.
The Board has also agreed to the MP’s request to rename the Mysuru-Talaguppa Express as Kuvempu Express.
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