Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 17: The South Western Railway has revised the schedule of the Dasara special train operating between Yesvantpur, Madgaon and Bengaluru Cantonment on October 16, adding a halt at Mangaluru Junction following strong protests from passengers.

The earlier schedule of special train No. 06591 included stops at Subrahmanya Road, Kabakaputtur, Bantwal, Surathkal, Mulki, Udupi, Kundapura, Byndoor, Bhatkal, Murdeshwar, Honnavar, Kumta, Gokarna Road, Ankola, Karwar and Canacona before reaching Madgaon. However, both Mangaluru Junction and Mangaluru Central, two important stations for passengers from the coastal city, were omitted from the original schedule.

The omission triggered widespread criticism from railway passengers in the Mangaluru region. MP Captain Brijesh Chowta also took up the issue with railway officials, following which the revised schedule was issued.

Under the revised timetable, the train will halt at Mangaluru Junction for 30 minutes for watering and locomotive reversal.

The return service, train No. 06592, will depart from Madgaon on October 18 and travel along the same route via Mangaluru Junction to Bengaluru Cantonment.

However, passengers have expressed concern that the last-minute revision could make it difficult for many to secure bookings. They have urged railway authorities to ensure that Mangaluru's major railway stations are not excluded when special trains are introduced during the upcoming Deepavali festival.