Intercity chugs off to Palakkad

Nethravathi railway bridge to be ready within 45 days, says Muniyappa

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the Nethravathi railway bridge will be completed within one and half months. The work on underpass at Mangalore Junction will be taken up at the cost of Rs 3.5 crore.

Owing to the mounting pressure from the people of the region, the Yashwanthpur-Mangalore-Karwar train will be given stoppage at Kundapur on an experimental basis for a period of six months with effect from November 19, 2011 to May 19, 2012. The decision on providing stoppage at Surathkal will be taken at the earliest.

Muniyappa said Train No 22609/22610 Mangalore – Palakkad Intercity express will stop at Vadakara on experimental basis from November 19 to June 30.

He said there is a demand for the extension of Kannur-Bangalore train via Palakkad to Mangalore.

“I have directed officials to find out the viability of the extension. The work on doubling the track from Mangalore Junction to Panambur at the cost of Rs 150 crore is under progress.”

Muniyappa said that Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda has stated that the State government is committed to provide all the facilities for taking up railway projects in the State on cost sharing method. There are 12 projects in the State on cost sharing method. If the State government agrees to share the cost, then the railway projects can be implemented without any problem in the State.

“After the UPA government came to power, Mangalore city got 10 new trains, apart from five trains that were extended and another three trains that commute once or twice in a week were introduced,” he said, and sought the support of the State government in all the railway development works.

An additional 23,000 kms of new railway lines will be laid by 2020. To check the pollution in the country, there is a need for electrification of railway line using hydroelectric power. Three to four expert committees have been constituted to look into power utilisation.

The Minister announced a cash prize of Rs one lakh to J N Jagannath, the additional general manager of Southern Railway, Chennai. Assembly Deputy Speaker N Yogish Bhat said that there is a need to introduce Mangalore-Kundapur intercity train to help the passengers to visit Kollur. At the same time, the newly introduced Mangalore-Palakkad intercity can be extended to Madhurai.

There is a need to create separate Mangalore division for railway, he added.

Intercity
Train 22609 Mangalore Central - Palakkad Intercity (daily) Express will leave Mangalore Central at 12 noon and will reach Palakkad junction at 6.15 pm. In the return direction, train 22610 Palakkad - Mangalore Central express will leave Palakkad junction at 7.25 am and reach Mangalore Central at 1.40 pm.

These trains will stop at Kasaragod, Kanhangad, Payyanur, Kannur, Thalassery, Kozhikode, Tirur, Shoranur and Ottapalam. This train will have one A/C chair car, four second class chair cars, six second class coaches and two-luggage cum brake vans. Reservation for this train has already commenced. The train will cover 325 km in 6.15 hours.

Upgradation
In his welcome address, Additional General Manager (Southern Railways, Chennai) J N Jagannath said that the Railways have taken up passenger ameneties work worth Rs 112.05 lakh in Mangalore Central. The work worth Rs 193 lakh is under progress. This include second footover bridge reflooring, ceiling repair and so on.

High mast lighting, LCD TV will be placed at the railway station. Another Rs 16.1 crore proposal is being prepared to construct a new platform at the second entry to the railway station, he added.

Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager S K Raina was present.