BENGALURU: The Bengaluru-Belagavi Triweekly Superfast Express chugged out of KSR railway station on Friday morning to the sound of claps and cheers from the few passengers seated inside and officials and cops on the platform. The honour of waving the green flag at 8 am to this first train to be run in India to connect cities within any state was accorded to a contract cleaning staffer Muniyammal and pointsman Nabi Ahmed.
Only 338 seats were booked on this train which had a total seating capacity of 1484 in its 14 coaches, all non-AC chair cars, with a ticket costing Rs 220. A total of 176 passengers boarded at KSR station and the remainder are expected to board at Davangere. All passengers wore masks, many donned gloves and social distancing was mandatory.
The patronage for the second intrastate train, the Bengaluru-Mysuru Daily Special Express that departed at 9.20 am, was a bigger shocker: only 37 passengers. A ticket between the two stations costs Rs 80. By the time it terminated at Mysuru, the passenger figure rose to 63 due to people boarding en route. It still evoked disbelief as the passenger traffic between these cities in normal circumstances is so heavy that there is little standing space available.
Among the relieved passengers travelling on the Belagavi train was K Sunil's family. This government employee's sister, eight months pregnant, resides at Harihar. "My mother is worried about her and is keen to take care of her at this stage. Bus travel will be a strain due to her age. We waited for two months for a train to be run and we are so relieved the first train is being run. We will alight at Davangere station," he said.
Dr Bharati, a dentist, was relieved she could reunite with her 7-year-old son who stays with his grandparents in Dharwad. Her brother, Praveen Kumar, who accompanied her to the station, said, "The kid is missing his mother enormously and the break has been too long as no one could travel for two months." Ravi Gowda, another passenger, said, "I am extremely happy that trains are finally running to Belagavi now.
The reasons for the poor patronage could be the sudden announcement of trains, ticket booking permitted only through online mode and lack of awareness about these specials. Passenger Reservation System counters at many railway stations in Karnataka have opened today.
These two special trains will not run on Sundays. The Belgavi train will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from KSR at 8 am and reach Belagavi at 6.30 pm. The return trip from Belagavi will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It will leave at 8 am and reach KSR at 6.30 pm. The Mysuru train will run six days a week. It will leave KSR at 9.20 pm and reach Mysuru at 12.45 pm. In the return direction, it will leave Mysuru at 1.45 pm and reach KSR at 5 pm.