With Madgaon-Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) Express rake remaining idle for nearly four hours at Mangaluru, patrons and passenger associations have sought its extension till Subrahmanya Road (SBHR), or at least Kabaka Puttur.

The extension would not only pave for optimum utilisation of Railway assets, but also offer end-to-end connectivity by linking the State of Goa with South India's prominent pilgrim centre Kukke Subrahmanya, patrons have argued. The Puttur-Subrahmanya Railway Users Association said Train Nos. 10107/108 have been providing affordable and reliable connectivity for thousands of students, workers, traders and pilgrims travelling daily between Goa, Karwar, Kumta, Honnavar, Murudeshwar, Kundapura, Udupi and Mangaluru.

Madgaon-Mangaluru Central service arrives Central at 11.30 a.m. during non-Monsoon timetable over Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., and at 12.30 p.m. during Monsoon timetable. Mangaluru Central-Madgaon service leaves Central at 3.30 p.m. If the service was extended till SBHR, the idling rake could be put for optimum use, the Association argued.

Connecting pilgrim centres

Supporting the demand, Mangaluru-based Paschima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivriddhi Samithi President G. Hanumanth Kamath said the services could be extended if it did not affect existing patrons. The idle time of the rake could better be utilised by extending it till SBHR thereby connecting a host of pilgrim and tourist centres across the coast, starting from Kukke Subrahmanya to temples around Ponda, Goa. Timetable of the services may be tweaked to a certain extent to facilitate the extension, Mr. Kamath said.

Mainline multiple electrical unit (MEMU) trains offer comfortable and affordable journeys to patrons. | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath

Puttur-Subrahmanya Association member B. Shreekara said the extension would bring multiple benefits with patrons gaining a continuous rail corridor connecting coastal towns with Kukke Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala and Puttur's Shri Mahalingeshwara Temple, while families from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi travelling to Goa's Kuladevata shrines would have an easier and more economical option. The stretch links major pilgrim centres at Udupi, Kollur, Murudeshwar and Gokarna and with the extension, Puttur and Kukke Subrahmanya too would be firmly placed on this network.

Operational adjustment

Mr. Shreekara noted that as the entire stretch, Madggaon to SHBR, was already electrified, there should be no problem in extending the MEMU Express. It was a simple operational adjustment that could deliver wide-ranging benefits at minimal cost, he argued.

The extension would also address lack of train connectivity between Mangaluru and SBHR between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., he added.

Patrons seek extension of Madgaon-Mangaluru MEMU Express to Subrahmanya Road