Southern Railway’s General Manager B.G. Mallya inaugurated a new pit line at Mangalore Central Railway Station that will help build the construction of two new platforms thereby enhancing train handling capacity. Introduction of new trains, particularly to destinations across the State and extend services, including Mumbai CSMT-Mangalore Junction Super Fast, Vijayapura-Mangalore Junction Express Special, Yeshwantpur-Mangalore Junction day trains, to Central can be materialised once the new platforms become functional.

Work on the new pit line began last March and it has been completed at an estimated cost of ₹6.76 crore. The new pit line (Pit Line No 1) can hold a 24-coach rake replacing the old one that could attend to an 18-coach rake. New platforms, Nos 4 and 5, will come up in the space vacated by the old pit line. Constructed under the development plan for Mangalore Central, the new pit line facilitates routine maintenance and inspection of coaches, including coach cleaning, coach charging and watering, round the clock. The Railways was finding it difficult to introduce new trains and extending existing trains to Mangalore Central with only three platforms and one bay platform.