Bangalore-Mangalore Overnight Express to Karwar Should be Extended via Mysuru: MP Pratap Simha

Mysuru Lok Sabha Member Prathap Simha made an appeal to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to extend the Bangalore-Mangalore Central-Bangalore overnight express to Karwar adding additional coaches to fill the connectivity void between Mysuru and the rest of coastal Karnataka. He also urged the Minister to extend its periodicity from six-days a week to daily.

The MP said there was no direct train connectivity between Mysore & Coastal districts after the Bengaluru-Karwar tri-weekly express was cancelled some five years ago. The extension would enhance the connectivity between Mysuru, one of the popular tourist destinations, with other important tourism and pilgrimage destinations in coastal Karnataka. Also, the additional coaches would offer more berths so as not to affect berth availability to passengers from Mangalore.

Besides the tourist destinations, the extension would also connect Mysuru with the education hub at Udupi-Manipal as well as NITK-Surathkal.

The rest of the coast has many tourist attractions, including Udupi, Kollur, Murdeshwar, Honnavar, Gokarna and Karwar, he pointed out. Besides thousands of entrepreneurs from coastal Karnataka live in Mysuru, who would invariably use the service upon its extension.

When Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had urged the Railways to increase its frequency due to bad road conditions during the 2022 monsoon, the Railways introduced a tri-weekly special on the same route and timing in July 2022.