The Hindu Business Line : ‘Train to link Mangalore and Bangalore by Nov end’

Mangalore, Oct 19 The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has said that it has received assurance from the Railway Board that the Mangalore-Bangalore passenger train services will begin by the end of November.

Mr M. Shekhar Pujari, Honorary Secretary of KCCI, who met Mr V.N. Mathur, Member (Traffic), Railway Board, in Mangalore recently told him that the passenger train service between Bangalore and Mangalore will begin by the end of November 2007. A KCCI statement said here on Friday that the delay in starting the passenger train between Mangalore and Bangalore is due to safety reasons.

Regarding the KCCI’s request for reinstating the starting point of Mathsyagandha Express train to Mangalore, Mr Mathur said that though the train service starts from Thiruvananthapuram, the number of seats available under Mangalore quota will remain unaltered. The KCCI release said that the starting point of the Mathsyagandha Express train to Mumbai was recently changed from Mangalore to Thiruvananthapuram.

The release said that the people of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have resorted to continuous agitations at various places opposing this move. Reinstatement of the starting point of Mathsyagandha Express train to Mangalore will help the citizens of both the districts to avail of the facility provided by the Railways, the statement said.