MANGALURU: Amid strong opposition from Kerala over the Centre's decision to transfer the Mangaluru railway area from the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway (SR) to the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway (SWR), the South Western Railway has defended the move, stating that the reorganisation is aimed solely at improving operational efficiency and has no bearing on revenue allocation or investment priorities.
Responding to the concerns, SWR in a statement issued on Monday said the decision was an administrative and operational rationalisation intended to bring the entire Mangaluru railway area under a single railway zone.
At present, railway operations in the Mangaluru region are shared by Southern Railway, South Western Railway and the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRCL), creating multiple operational jurisdictions within a relatively small but traffic-intensive network.
Padil, near Mangaluru, serves as a common interchange point where the jurisdictions of the three railway administrations meet. As a result, trains arriving in Mangaluru from the Goa or Hassan directions have to pass through multiple operational boundaries before reaching the station, leading to avoidable delays, congestion and coordination challenges.
The railway administration pointed out that Mangaluru is located more than 350 km from the headquarters of the Palakkad Division, while its major onward connectivity through the Mangaluru-Hassan-Mysuru-Bengaluru corridor already falls within the operational jurisdiction of South Western Railway.
Bringing the entire Mangaluru area under SWR would allow unified planning, train control and timetabling, resulting in smoother passenger and freight operations, it said.
SWR also highlighted the strategic importance of New Mangalore Port, which handles cargo for power and steel plants located in Karnataka and served by SWR and KRCL. Integrating the port with a single railway zone would improve coordination and facilitate seamless movement of loaded and empty freight rakes, enhancing operational efficiency.
The railway said suburban rail operations around Mangaluru are already largely under SWR, and a unified jurisdiction would enable comprehensive planning for the entire region.
Addressing concerns from Kerala, SWR clarified that the realignment is confined to Karnataka and does not involve transfer of any railway station in Kerala. The Palakkad Division will continue to retain all stations within Kerala, including those in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad and Thrissur districts.
It further stressed that railway infrastructure investment is determined by network requirements rather than the revenue earned by a particular division or zone. The jurisdictional change, it said, is similar to periodic boundary realignments undertaken across the Indian Railways to reduce operational bottlenecks and improve efficiency.
Appealing to the people of Kerala, SWR said the decision should be viewed purely as an operational measure aimed at ensuring seamless train operations in the Mangaluru and coastal ghat sections, while reiterating that Kerala's railway development would continue to receive priority.
