RRB office to be shifted to Hubballi

The branch office of Railway Recruitment Board in Bengaluru will be shifted to Hubballi for the convenience of job aspirants from north Karnataka, Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi has said.

Speaking after flagging off Hubballi-Chennai Central-Hubballi bi-weekly special express and commissioning 10.06-km double line between Annigeri and Hulkoti here on Saturday, the minister said the rail coach factory sanctioned for Karnataka would be set up at Kotegangur near Shivamogga.

“We have planned to complete doubling and electrification of the railway line between Pune and Bengaluru by 2021 and this will bring down the journey time from Hubballi to Bengaluru to less than five hours,” Angadi said.

In reply to a query on proposed Hubballi-Ankola railway line, the minister said that the state Forest department would have to clear the project first. Angadi said that he had asked the state Tourism department to restart “Golden Chariot” tourist train. “If the state government cannot operate it, the IRCTC will take up the task from this Dasara,” he said.