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Toy train 'Bala Mangala Express’ yet to restart at Kadri Park

The engine of the toy train was manufactured in 1979 and was being used in the Bangalore Bal Bhavan for a few years before being sent to Mangaluru
Last Updated 29 November 2021, 05:48 IST

The toy train service, which was stopped due to the pandemic, has not been restarted. Children visiting Kadri Park during the weekends with their parents are disappointed over it.

The train is now stationed inside the tunnel in the park. The joy ride had come to a halt during the Covid-19 pandemic second wave.

The train was introduced in 1982 and the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) was running the train initially. Later, the Balbavan Society under the Women and Child Development Department was given the responsibility of resuming the toy train service in the park.

The engine of the toy train was manufactured in 1979 and was being used in the Bangalore Bal Bhavan for a few years before being sent to Mangaluru. However, in 2013, the toy train stopped its service after a Southern Railway mechanical engineer had given in writing that the engine was not in a condition for use.

Later, in 2017, the Bal Bhavan Society and the Women and Child Development department procured a new engine and a bogie of the train. The then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had flagged off the toy train service in January 2018. During the visit of Bal Bhavan Society Chairperson Chikkamma Basavaraj in February 2021, the contractor, who is in charge of maintenance of the Bala Mangala Express, had highlighted the uneven track of the toy train. He had even brought the issue of the frequent problem encountered in the engine of the train.

The track has been laid on the park on the concrete bed. The toy train traverses 1.2 km inside the park.

The toy train had stopped its operation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Steps will be taken to start its service once again in the Park shortly, Women and Child Development Department Deputy Director Papa Bhovi told DH.

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(Published 29 November 2021, 05:48 IST)

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