CH NEWS, MANGALURU
The Mangalore Railway Zone, which was under the jurisdiction of the Palakkad Division of the Southern Railway, will officially be merged with the Mysore Division of the South Western Railway from October 1. Senior officials of both the divisions and the Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) will hold a joint meeting on Friday, to finalize the handover process for this significant administrative change.
The decision has been taken for smooth operation of trains and administrative convenience as per the order issued by the Railway Ministry on August 21. The meeting will finalise the handover of assets, responsibilities of the around 2,000 staff working there and day-to-day operations.
New boundary: The boundary of Palakkad division towards the south will end before Ullal station, and the existing boundary at Padil will be shifted to Ullal.
Northern boundary: The area of South Western Railway will extend up to Thokur station, which joins the Konkan Railway Corporation.
Out of the total 39 km of Mangalore railway area, about 30 km will now come under the administration of Mysore division.
Mangalore Central : 6 platforms and 1 bay platform. 3 pitlines (capacity of 24 coaches, high-pressure jet facility) and 1 sickline. It has the main coaching depot of Palakkad division, where the primary maintenance of 17 pairs of trains (450 coaches) is done. It has an average of 30 trains per day and a running room with 63 beds (4 for women staff).
Mangalore Junction: 3 platforms and 7 railway tracks (4 for passenger trains, 2 for freight trains, 1 for sickle line). Major wagon inspection depot and diesel locomotive fuel supply station. Handling 70 stopping trains and 10 starting/ending trains daily. 64-bed running room facility for operating staff.
Local leaders have expressed concern that this administrative boundary change will affect the revenue and operational capacity of the Palakkad division. On the other hand, the rail users’ forum in Kasaragod has demanded that Manjeshwar and Kumbla railway stations be provided with proper coaching and infrastructure as they will be the last stations of the Southern Railway. Overall, it is certain that the Mangalore division will join the Mysore division and the documents will be handed over.
