Mangaluru, Apr 8: The ‘Kudla Express’, aka ‘Gommateshwara Express’, the much-awaited day train between coastal town of Mangaluru and state capital Bengaluru on the new Hassan line will become a reality this weekend.
According to reliable sources, Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu will flag off the Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Junction tri-weekly express on Sunday. He will flag off the train from Madgaon through video conferencing.
The train was sanctioned during Union Minister Sadananda Gowda’s term as rail minister in 2014. However, the Railway Board had not given its approval for the train. Senior South Western Railway officials cited shortage of rakes (set of coaches) for the delay.
Sadananda Gowda had named the train as ‘Kudla Express’. However, Mr Prabhu had last month agreed to name the train ‘Gommateshwara Express’ following a request by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
The Yeshwantpur–Mangaluru Junction Tri-weekly Express (Train no 16575) will depart from Yeshwantpur at 7.50 am on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and arrive at Mangaluru at 5.30 pm on the same day.
In the return direction, the train (16576) will depart from Mangaluru Junction at 11.30 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and arrive at Yeshwantpur at 8.30 pm on the same day.
The train will have stoppages at Chikbanavar, Nelamangala, Kunigal, Yediyur, BG Nagar, Channarayapatna, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabakaputtur and Bantwal in both directions.
The train will have a composition of 14 coaches including seven general chair cars, five general second class and two second class luggage-cum-brake vans/disabled friendly compartments.
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