Intra-state rail service evokes lukewarm response on Day One

The special trains to Belagavi and Mysuru from Bengaluru received a lukewarm response on Friday after the railways resumed intra-state service after a gap of nearly two months.

The first train, KSR Bengaluru-Belagavi Tri-Weekly Special (02059) to Belagavi left Bengaluru at 8 am on Friday. Muniyammal, cleaning staff and Nabi Ahamed, pointsman flagged off the train. However, only 338 passengers had reserved tickets for the train, which can carry about 1,400 passengers. Of them, only 176 boarded from Bengaluru.

The train will run thrice a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the South Western Railway said in a release.

In the return direction, the train (02060) will leave Belagavi at 8 am on Saturday. It will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The fare has been fixed at Rs 274.

People reluctant

In what seemed people’s reluctance to travel in trains during Covid-19, the second train (06503) of the day left Bengaluru to Mysuru at 8.29 am carrying only 63 passengers. In the return direction, the train (06504) left Mysuru at 1.45 pm with just 57 passengers. The train service between the two cities will continue every day.

All the four trains will not run on Sunday due to lockdown restrictions, the release said.