KARWAR: Karwar-Bengaluru express train service which was suspended from August 27 due to landslides at Sakleshpur in Hassan district is expected to resume from this month end. The only train of the Konkan Railway that connects Karwar with the state capital is one of the main trains for the people of Uttara Kannada district to reach Bengaluru. The train connects Mangaluru, Hassan, Mandya and Mysuru. People of Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada used to opt for this train to reach Bengaluru or to return to their native places.
The Karwar-Bengaluru Express en route Bengaluru used to run via Udupi, Mangaluru, Sakleshpur, Hassan, Mandya and Mysuru and it used to return on the same route. But due to heavy rain in the beginning of August, a massive landslide took place on the railway track near Sakleshpur in the second week of August.
According to Konkan Railway officials, the train service between Karwar and Bengaluru was started in October 2012. It was making revenue of lakhs of rupees everyday. There was a good response for the train as people of all the three coastal districts are depended on it.
Due to landslide in the limits of Southern Railway, Karwar-Bengaluru train was diverted via Palakkad, Shoranur, Erode, Salem and Bengaluru for four days. To reach the capital of their own state, people of Karwar were forced to travel via Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The train service remained cancelled from August 16 to 19. The train plied from August 20 to 26 via Kerala and Tamil Nadu to reach Bengaluru. The service was again stopped from August 27.