Sir,

Bengaluru is connected to New Delhi via Kacheguda/Secunderabad by 12649/12650 Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express (5 days a week). The prestigious train operates only via Andhra Pradesh on Bengaluru-Gooty-Dhone-Kurnool line and thus there exists no room for this train’s stoppage anywhere within Karnataka.

 Further, there is now an urgent need to connect the interior Karnataka region to New Delhi from Bengaluru. The presence of many Government Offices, Ministries, Departments, educational institutions etc., in this region has resulted in the need to connect with an additional daily train — simultaneously connecting Hubballi and New Delhi on a daily basis. It is also ironical to note that Hubballi, which also serves as a Head Quarter Office for South Western Railway Zone, does not even boast of a daily connectivity originating from Bengaluru via Hubballi to New Delhi — an opportunity otherwise available by operating this train on suggested route.

While Kacheguda/Secunderabad as an originating Station is already well-connected to New Delhi through many popular trains, the suggestion to operate this  prestigious train via Hubballi on a daily basis will therefore not affect much of the route operations, demand and patronage.

Hence, the Railway authorities are requested to consider the suggestion to run 12649/12650 Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express via Hubballi on daily overnight arrangement basis.

Further if the feasibility challenge of operating on daily basis from Yeswantpur persists, the authorities  may even consider to extend this train either upto Mysuru or suburb stations of Mysuru like Ashokapuram, Nanjangud Town or Chamarajanagar.

As such this extension upto Mysuru may also fulfill the further need for a daily connectivity to New Delhi via Bengaluru-Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi-Miraj and Pune.

– S.D. Varun on e-mail, Bengaluru, 22.1.2019

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