BENGALURU: In a move that could offer a major boost to the State’s economy, the capacity of the Hassan-Mangaluru railway line has been augmented. The Hassan Mangalore Rail Development Company Limited installed signalling systems and permitted crossings at two stations which will now allow 24 trains to run along the Hassan-Mangaluru line instead of 10 until now.
“The crossings are now permitted at Yedakumari and Kadagaravalli stations. While earlier one train could not pass until the previous one completed its entire route, we can now run more trains due to the signalling system,” Chief Executive Officer Amit Garg told TNIE.
The speed restriction along the 55-km stretch between Sakleshpur and Subramanya continues to remain 30 kmph, Garg said. Three pairs of passenger trains run along this stretch presently, he said. “The additional ones could all be goods trains which can help massively in transporting fertilisers from Mangaluru to the hinterland of Karnataka,” he added.
Kapil Mohan, Chairman of HMRDC said, “We have taken steps to effectively increase the through capacity of Hassan Mangaluru rail by 50%. This will be a major boost for industrial development and passenger traffic in the region.” The move could bring down the number of lorries that pass through the Ghats each day from around 6,000 at present (around 6 lakh annually).
However, when asked about train freight charges, which are prohibitive, Garg said, “We are working on a draft. There needs to be a policy change and we are taking steps in that direction.”