BENGALURU: There’s some good news for passengers travelling between Bengaluru and Mangaluru by
train. The travel time is soon expected to reduce by 90 minutes, with a new railway line between the two cities via Shravanabelagola and Hassan getting almost readied. All it needs is clearance from the Commissioner of Rail Safety.
The Rs 1,300-crore project, a dream child of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, which was sanctioned in 1996-1997, is finally inching towards completion.
After initial hurdles like fund crunch and permission for the railway line to pass through Vijay Mallya’s stud farm in Kunegal, issues pertaining to acquisition of small patches of land in Ramanagara district to lay the railway line became contentious later.
The 368-km route from Bengaluru (Chikkabanavar is starting station) will be a 10.5-hour journey till Mangaluru and will help one reach quicker than the existing route via Mysuru and Hassan which takes 11.45 hours and Arsikere and Hassan that takes 11.15 hours to complete, said Chief Engineer, Constructions, South Western Railway, M Ravindranath Reddy.
"What is more significant is that popular tourist destinations like Shravanabelagola and the Adichunchanagiri Mutt (near Bala Gangadharanatha Swamiji railway station) will be easily accessible due to train stoppages here and Nelamangala near Bengaluru can also be quickly reached through this route," he said.