Blurb: Meeting the Union Railway Minister in New Delhi, Dakshina Kannada MP Kota Srinivas Poojary pressed for the introduction of Vande Bharat trains from Bengaluru to Mangaluru, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada to ease daily travel burden on coastal commuters.
Udupi:
Dakshina Kannada MP Kota Srinivas Poojari has appealed to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to extend Vande Bharat train services to the coastal region and to prioritise doubling of the Konkan railway tracks.
During a meeting at the minister’s office in New Delhi, the MP explained the pressing need to introduce Vande Bharat trains connecting Bengaluru with Mangaluru, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada districts.
He pointed out that more than 600 buses and numerous private vehicles travel daily from Uttara Kannada, Kundapur, Udupi, and Mangaluru to the state capital Bengaluru. Launching Vande Bharat services on this route would greatly benefit regular commuters, he argued.
Alongside the Vande Bharat request, Poojary emphasised the importance of converting the 734-kilometre Mangaluru–Mumbai section of the Konkan Railway into a double line. Doubling the tracks would enable additional train services and significantly improve connectivity and capacity on one of India’s key rail corridors. He urged the minister to initiate a detailed survey and allocate necessary funds for the project at the earliest.