The Mangaluru Railway Region includes the Mangaluru Central (in picture), Mangaluru Junction, Panambur (New Mangalore Port), and Ullal railway stations.
| Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath
Keralam has lodged a strong protest against the Railway Board’s latest decision to bifurcate the Mangaluru region from the Palakkad division and merge it with the South Western Railway’s Mysuru division. The move, with effect from October 1, is expected to significantly undermine the operational and financial importance of the Palakkad division.
Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Saturday (August 22, 2026) called the Railways’ “unilateral decision” unacceptable and said the government will take up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“It will severely impact the revenue and development of the Southern Railway and Keralam. We will take up the issue urgently with the Prime Minister and the Union Railway Minister,” Mr. Satheesan said in a post on X.
A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office on Saturday (August 22, 2026) said the decision to bifurcate Mangaluru from the Palakkad division was taken unilaterally. Detaching the important Mangaluru Junction would significantly reduce the division’s revenue and adversely affect its development, it said.
The merger of the Ullal-Mangaluru section, currently under the Southern Railway, with the South Western Railway would also cause substantial losses to the Southern Railway and Keralam, the statement said. The decision was taken without informing the State government or holding any discussions with it, it added.
“It is the united demand of Keralam that the decision be reconsidered. We will approach the Central government seeking an immediate solution and write to the Prime Minister and the Union Railway Minister. With the support of MPs from the State, we will exert pressure on the Centre to reconsider the decision,” the statement said.
‘Major setback to Keralam’s rail development aspirations’
The bifurcation is a major setback to Keralam’s rail development aspirations, said Friends on Rail, a rail passenger association. The Railway Ministry took the decision without considering Keralam’s long-standing demand for a separate railway zone, the association said.
After the formation of the Salem division, which significantly reduced the geographical extent of the Palakkad division, the latest move to transfer more areas to the Mysuru division would further hamper the State’s operational and development prospects, it said.
The move could also lead to the eventual elimination of several low-income stations and adversely affect train services between Mangaluru and Keralam, Friends on Rail said.
Published – August 22, 2026 01:01 pm IST
