Pashchima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivrddhi Samithi is opposed to the Railway Ministry’s proposal to extend the Bengaluru-Kannur overnight express via Mangaluru to Kozhikode, saying it will drastically reduce seat availability to passengers from coastal Karnataka.
The opposition comes in the backdrop of Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan recently meeting Railway Board Chairman and CEO Jaya Varma Sinha with a request to extend Bengaluru-Kannur overnight express via Mangaluru Central to Kozhikode. Southern Railway has sent a proposal to the Board recommending extension of Train No. 16511/512, though the train belongs to South Western Railway.
On September 22, Samithi president G. Hanumantha Kamath told The Hindu that the extension will severely affect people travelling from Mangaluru and surrounding areas to and from State capital Bengaluru. “What is the need for this extension that entails a circuitous journey for passengers from Kozhikode to Bengaluru when they have a shorter daily service from Kannur to Bengaluru (Train 16528) via Palakkad?”
