Demands for additional trains featured prominently in the South Western railway's 10th Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) meeting, held in Hubli.

Members demanded additional trains connecting Hubli and Guntakal; Bangalore and Bangarpet, and Bangalore and Mysore. The meet also discussed issues concerning passenger amenities.

The meeting also discussed at length, issues regarding passenger amenities at Hubli and Bangalore railway stations, interchanging the originating station of Mysore-Shimoga Intercity Express, introduction of an inter-city express train between Davangere and Bangalore, additional train services between Bangarpet and Bangalore.

The General Manager of South Western Railway, Mr Kuldeep Chaturvedi, said that additional services could be provided after the completion of track-doubling work between Bangalore and Mysore, Hubli and Bangalore and Hubli and Vasco-da-gama.

Mr Chaturvedi said that the zone has registered 16.23 per cent decrease in freight earnings so far this financial year, following the ban imposed on iron ore export by the Karnataka Government. Despite the shortfall, the performance of the zone between April 2010 and January 2011 was encouraging, he added.

The zone, during April 2010 and January 2011, has ferried 11.25 per cent passengers more, at 143.49 million passengers.

Around 27 members of the ZRUCC of the 33 members from the Hubli, Mysore and Bangalore divisions attended the meeting.

At the meet, Mr Babulal G. Jain, Mr Mohamed Sanaulla, Mr D. Kishore Kumar, Mr C.M. Subramanian, Mr G. K. Adappagoudar, Mr B.S. Ramaprasad, Mr U.G. Pawar, Mr M.S. Bidasaria, Mr G. Nagaraju, Mr Mahendra H. Singhi, and Mr R. Sampangi Ram, were some of the ZRUCC members who attended the meeting. Senior railway officials, including Mr S.S Narayanan and Mr D.G. Diwate, were present.

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