Minister opposes extension of Bengaluru-Kannur train to Kozhikode

MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada district minister and minister for health Dinesh Gundu Rao has raised objections to the decision of the Railways to extend the Bengaluru – Kannur train to Kozhikode.
Rao has sent a letter to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking reconsideration of the decision and retaining the services as before. “It is hard to find any logic in extending a train service that always runs full between two stations,” Rao wrote.
Stating that the Railways’ decision adversely affects thousands of commuters on the train, Rao said that it is an overnight express train, which is high in demand and always runs full.
“Train Nos 16511 and 16512 is the only train service between Bengaluru and Kannur via Mangaluru. By extending the train to another destination about one and half hours away, additional demand for the same number of seats is being created. Three stations, Thalassery, Vadakara and Quilandi, are to be added between Kannur and Kozhikode. This will increase demand at all stations other than Kozhikode. Due to this extension, the availability of reserved berths will be drastically reduced in Train No 16512 (Kannur – Bengaluru), as the unreserved coaches will be occupied by passengers between Kannur and Kozhikode,” the minister said.
By extending the train, the railway ministry is denying the people of coastal Karnataka and Malabar a successful and in-demand train service, he noted.
Urging the ministry to reconsider its decision, the minister said, “This may kindly be treated as a request from the Government of Karnataka, as well as thousands of people from coastal Karnataka.”
He also expressed concern over the railway ministry not considering the demand of people to extend Thiruvananthapuram – Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express to Mangaluru.