Passengers associations of Kundapura and Uttara Kannada district have said trains between Bengaluru and Madgaon/Karawar need not enter Mangaluru, and could instead proceed via Padil Cabin (in picture) to provide faster and efficient services to people in other parts of coastal Karnataka.
| Photo Credit: Anil Kumar Sastry
Railway passengers associations of Kundapura and Uttara Kannada districts have said the integration of Mangaluru Railway Region with South Western Railway’s (SWR) Mysuru Division was to improve the overall operational efficiency and railway infrastructure across coastal Karnataka, and not just Mangaluru.
The Kundapura Rail Prayanikara Hitarakshana Samithi and the Uttara Kannada Railway Seva Samithi were responding to Dakshina Kannada District Rail’s statement that railway development and train services should not bypass Mangaluru following the region’s integration with SWR’s Mysuru Division.
The forums said the integration was meant to facilitate the development of the entire 300-odd-km coastal railway network and not to trouble people in other parts of coastal Karnataka.
Dakshina Kannada (DK) District Rail could seek services dedicated to Mangaluru; but it would not be prudent to require through services between Karwar/Madgaon and Bengaluru to enter Mangaluru. This would entail a ‘loco reversal’ (change of locomotive direction) either at Mangaluru Junction or at Mangaluru Central, resulting in loss of one to two hours of travel time.
“No one should be under the impression that Mangaluru should get the first priority, as the Indian Railways belongs to everyone,” the associations said.
They also pointed out that the proposed Yeshwantpur-Madgaon-Yeshwantpur Vande Bharat (VB) Express would not bypass Mangaluru, as it runs via Mangaluru Junction. Mangalureans, they added, were also entitled to seek a dedicated VB service to Bengaluru.
Develop other stations
Stating that the argument of DK District Rail that Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction alone constitute Mangaluru City was a misnomer, the forums urged the SWR to develop stations on the outskirts of Mangaluru, including Farangipet, Padil Cabin, and Kenjar/Jokatte, to serve passengers in the city and surrounding areas.
Through trains bypassing Mangaluru could be given halts at any of these stations for the benefit of Mangaluru passengers, they said.
Mangaluru Central was not a principal station for passengers travelling along the 300 km coastal stretch from Surathkal to Karwar, and routing through trains into Central would severely inconvenience long-distance travellers.
In fact, Railway infrastructure development should encompass the entire region rather than remain concentrated at one or two stations or locations, the forums argued.
Published – October 04, 2026 03:14 pm IST
