Daijiworld Media Network- Mangaluru (VP)

Mangaluru, Dec 11: A recent RTI response has raised concerns among Mangaluru railway customers about the accuracy of track doubling between Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction.

Despite ongoing demands from the Pashchima Karavali Railway Abhivriddhi Samithi to double the track and allow for more train services, the Southern Railway's Palakkad Division claims that the line has already been doubled.

Nandalal Perumal, senior divisional engineer (co-ordination), Palakkad, responds that the Central-Junction stretch has already been doubled, despite evidence of a 1 km single-line stretch from Morgan's Gate to Jeppu Kudpady.

The line connects with the Shoranur-Mangaluru Junction double line at Jeppu Kudpady, with a total distance of about 6 km between Central and Junction.

Perumal defends the gap by citing railway terminology claiming that the single line up to Jeppu Kudpady is part of Mangaluru Central's Yard and does not follow the conventional distinction of single or double lines.

However, railway passengers, particularly the Abhivriddhi Samithi, have long advocated for doubling the Central-Junction stretch to allow more trains to run between Mangaluru Central and destinations such as Bengaluru and Mumbai.

G K Bhat, a member of the Abhivriddhi Samithi, brought up the issue at a recent railway review meeting presided over by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel. Bhat emphasised that while rejecting requests for additional services to Mumbai and Bengaluru, Southern Railway consistently uses track and platform limits.

He contended that doubling the track is necessary to meet the increasing demand for more train services.

During the meeting, Perumal argued that due to the current low traffic, there was no immediate need to double the stretch. As traffic increases, he suggests that doubling could be considered in the future.

Customers, on the other hand, see this reasoning as similar to the classic chicken-and-egg scenario. They argue that unless the line is doubled, Railways will not add more trains, resulting in an odd situation.

The RTI response's variation has raised demands for clarity and transparency in railway planning and communication. The debate between railway authorities and advocates for track doubling continues leaving commuters eager for a definitive resolution to this railway conundrum.