Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Uttara Kannada MP, with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Uttara Kannada MP Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri urged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to extend Train No. 16585/586 SMVT Bengaluru-Murdeshwar-SMVT Bengaluru Express to Vasco-da-Gama.
| Photo Credit:
ANIL KUMAR SASTRY
Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Uttara Kannada MP, on Thursday urged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to extend SMVT Bengaluru-Murdeshwar Express and Kacheguda-Murdeshwar Express to Vasco-da-Gama and Karwar respectively.
Meeting Mr. Vaishnaw at his office in New Delhi, Mr. Kageri also urged the Minister to direct Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. to construct the second high-level platform at Kumta railway station. The MP told the Minister that Khanapur railway station in Belagavi district under his constituency was in dire need of development while work on the construction of a railway underbridge near the station needs to be expedited, he said.
Mr. Kageri told the Railway Minister that extension of Train No. 16585/586 to Vasco-da-Gama would connect two popular tourist destinations of Mysuru and Goa through the pristine Karnataka coastline. District headquarters Karwar too would get reconnected to Mysuru that had lost the direct train connectivity after KRCL cancelled Bengaluru-Karwar-Bengaluru overnight express via Mysuru before allowing the introduction of Bengaluru-Karwar-Bengaluru Panchaganga Express.
Train No. 12789/790 Kacheguda-Murdeshwar-Kacheguda bi-weekly express has been a big hit after its extension from Mangaluru Central to Murdeshwar, the MP told Mr. Vaishnaw. The benefits of the service, providing direct connectivity to Tirupati and Hyderabad, should be available to patrons in other parts of Uttara Kannada district too, he said demanding its extension till Karwar.
Mr. Kageri regretted that despite being one of the major commercial centres in the region, Kumta station lacks a second platform thus hindering smooth operation of services. There was an immediate need for the construction of a second high-level platform with adequate shelters and other facilities, he said.
The MP told The Hindu that the Minister was positive to his demands.
Other breakthroughs
Mr. Kageri also told The Hindu that there were two major developments regarding railway infrastructure in the region. The Ministry has ordered final location survey and preparation of the detailed project report for the Talaguppa-Sirsi-Hubballi new line that was expected to get completed shortly.
The study for wildlife mitigation measures for the Hubballi-Ankola new line was nearing completion, the MP said, hoping for an early start for the project that connects North and coastal Karnataka.
Published – February 06, 2025 07:33 pm IST