Why Mysuru-Bengaluru commuters worried over Vande Bharat Express launch

MYSURU: In the last two years, the SWR introduced five new trains on the Bengaluru-Mysuru route. Launching new trains without proper platform support has resulted in bottleneck problems, both at Mysuru railway station and at Bengaluru railway station, resulting in excess travel time.
Meanwhile, the proposal to operate the new Vande Bharat Express from Mysuru at 6am starting from April 5 has caused a headache among the train commuters, who fear that morning services may get disrupted further.According to the regular passengers, the travel time between the two cities is four hours due to the platform congestion. They point out that the train timetable and the actual timings are not matching.
Lakshmi Naidu, a regular early-morning traveller from Mysuru to Bengaluru, said earlier the Chamundi Express used to reach Bengaluru before 9.30am. Now, it reaches at 9.40am or 9.50am, which causes a lot of inconvenience to the employees. “The train reaches Kengeri by 8.40am, but from there, it takes nearly an hour to reach KSR,” she explained.
According to the commuters, it is not the story of one train. Most of the trains stop at Ramanagara or Kengeri for an hour. The problem has been reported for the last two to three years. However, the concerned agencies are not finding any solution, said Nagesh K, another regular passenger.
According to S Yogendra of Mysuru Railway Commuters Forum, the bottleneck problem is resulting in delays both at Mysuru, as well as Bengaluru city railway stations. The trains will be halted at the outskirts of both cities, till they get clearance to enter the platform which is causing the delay, he added. The South Western Railway (SWR) operates 35 pairs of trains on this route, including express and MEMU trains. These trains are essential for nearly 30,000 passengers who commute daily between Bengaluru and Mysuru, as well as to other destinations along the way.
An SWR official stated, “Trains to Mysuru start and terminate at various stations including KSR Bengaluru, Sir M Visvesvaraya, Cantonment, Yeshwanthpur, and Yelahanka. At KSR Bengaluru, we are using the platforms to their full capacity, which presents difficulties in the arrival and departure of trains. Delays can cause a cascading effect on the schedule of other trains on the same route. To mitigate this, the railways has taken up the works of extending platforms No. 5, 6, and 7 under the Gati Shakti Scheme. This will enable us to handle more trains smoothly in the future.” The official also mentioned that an automatic signalling system for the Bengaluru – Mysuru route was approved last year. “With this new system, we expect to increase the line capacity,” the official added.
Meanwhile, the passengers are raising concerns about the new Vande Bharat Express service from Mysuru to Chennai via Bengaluru and potential platform constraints. Yogendra said that the decision to operate the express from Mysuru railway station at 6am is likely to disturb the movement of two popular trains i.e. Chennai Express and Vishwamanav Express, two morning trains from Mysuru to Bengaluru. In response to queries about the new Vande Bharat Express, the official clarified, “As the new service from Mysuru departs early in the morning, it will not encounter any platform issues. On its return, the train departs from Bengaluru post 9.30pm.”
(With inputs from Suchith Kidiyoor)