Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper train likely to be rerouted via Solapur-Guntakal route; rail activists protest

Kolhapur: The recently approved Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat (sleeper) train, which was scheduled to commence soon on theMiraj-Pune-Belgavirail route, is now likely to be rerouted via Solapur-Guntakal, according to various rail activists.Some residents of Miraj-Sangli have now raised a grievance about the plan with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and also written to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav, warning of an agitation over fewer trains plying via the Miraj route. They pointed out that despite Rs15,000 crore worth of track-doubling works being nearly finished on the Pune-Miraj track, only 15 trains ply daily on this line, which is very low in comparison with the Solapur route.The activists further said that several important cities hosting flourishing economic activity lie on thePune-Miraj-Belagavi-Hubli-Tumkururoute, and there is widespread discontent in Maharashtra and Karnataka due to the preference given to the Solapur-Guntakal route for the Vande Bharat sleeper train.Satish Sakhalkar, head of the Sangli Zilla Nagrik Jagruti Manch, said, "The Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper train, approved on April 5 this year, was initially to run to Mumbai via Tumkur, Davangere, Hubli, Belgaum, Miraj, Sangli, Satara and Pune. This would have provided fast rail connectivity to Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts. However, people's representatives from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana followed up with the railway ministry and demanded that the train be diverted to the Solapur-Guntakal-Anantapur route, which is now set to happen."He added, "During the tenure of former railway minister Suresh Prabhu, the Pune-Sangli-Miraj-Hubli-Bengaluru double-track and electrified railway line was developed for Rs15,000 crore. On this line, trains have been tested at a speed of 130kmph, and at least 150-200 trains can ply on it. Negligence of people's representatives from western Maharashtra towards the railway issue is responsible for this poor railway network on the Pune-Miraj line. An indefinite protest will be launched in the Sangli railway station area on this issue. The protest will run toy trains on the railway line between Sangli, Madhavnagar, and Nandre to condemn the railway administration's decisions."UmeshShah, a member of the Western Maharashtra Railway Passenger Group, said, "The number of trains via Pune-Sangli-Hubli route is very low, with just 15 trains in 24 hours. However, the alternate route via Solapur-Guntakal-Anantapur-Dharmavaram is fully utilised and well connected to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, etc., with nearly 150-plus trains. During the introduction of every new train, preference is given by zonal railways to the Solapur-Guntakal route. Hence, the Pune-Sangli-Hubli route remains underutilised."Meanwhile, Miraj railway station superintendent Jagjit Tandale informed TOI that no notification has been received yet regarding the route that will be taken by the Mumbai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat sleeper train when it starts.