Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (VM)

Mangalore, Feb 25: A new passenger train service from between Mangalore and Chennai has been announced by union railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in his railway budget. However, three passenger trains for Mangalore announced by the minister last year have not yet reached the track.

It was in the last year’s budget that the minister announced the Mangalore-Hassan-Arasikere-Yashwantpur (Bangalore), Mangalore-Hassan-Mysore-Yashwantpur and the Mangalore-Shravanabelagola passenger train service, which are yet to run. However, the railway department has conducted a trial run of goods trains between Hassan and Mangalore and the regular goods train services are yet to begin.

The Mangalore-Chennai train service (thrice in a week) announced in the budget will be beneficial to passengers if the train is introduced via the Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore section as train connectivity between Mangalore and Chennai exists via Kerala.

The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has demanded the handing over of the railway line stretch between Mangalore and Thokur on the Mangalore-Mumbai route from the Southern Railway to the Konkan Railway.