• Pratap Simha flags off extended Vishwamanava Express from Ashokapuram
• Chennai Express scheduled to start from Mysuru tomorrow at 4.45 am

Mysuru: For Mysureans, this Sankranti Gift will be a gift to remember. While the extension of Chennai-Mysuru-Chennai Express to Mysuru and Hubballi-Mysuru-Hubballi Vishwamanava Express to Ashokapuram came as good news for thousands of train travellers, the news of Mysuru City Railway Station being revamped at a cost of Rs. 20 crore brought in more cheers.

While flagging off the Vishwamanava Express that will henceforth start from Ashokapuram, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha said at Ashokapuram Railway Station this morning that the Mysuru Railway Station will be revamped at a cost of Rs. 20 crore and the foundation stone for the renovation will be laid in a couple of days. “The Station will be beautified and more passenger amenities will be added,” he said.

The Ashokapuram Railway Station was constructed in 1891 and from 1924, the tests for meter-gauge trains began. “Today, Ashokapuram Station, around 5 kms from Mysuru Railway Station, is prominently present on the Railway map with thousands of passengers coming here for their journey,” he said.

Pratap Simha said that as an MP he had strived for the improvement of road, rail and air projects in Mysuru region and was successful in bringing many projects. “In the past five years, five new trains from Mysuru to Bengaluru including Bi-Weekly train service to Varanasi, Vishwamanava Express, Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train, Chennai-KSR Bengaluru-Chennai Express to Mysuru, Mysuru-Udaipur have been introduced.

Around 30,000 people commute by trains every day in the city. The Chennai-KSR Bengaluru-Chennai Express train service will be very useful to the passengers who travel to Bengaluru in the early morning as super fast express train will depart Mysuru Railway Station at 4.45 am and reach Chennai by 2.30 pm, via Bengaluru, he said.

“It was necessary for me to lobby at the Centre to bring in more trains and air service. Thankfully, Union Ministers Suresh Prabhu, Jayant Sinha and Piyush Goyal extended their full support. Even when the Hubballi Train was to be renamed as Vishwamanava Express to honour poet laureate Kuvempu, the Railway Minister obliged and today we have the train renamed,” he said.

“My vision is that there must be at least one train per hour from Bengaluru to Mysuru and there must be at least 25 flights from Mysore Airport,” the MP said amidst cheers from the crowd. Pratap Simha assured that the Mysore Airport works will be completed within five years. It will emerge as an international airport and this will lead to a good inflow of tourists and create employment opportunity.

In the coming days, extension of Tipu Express and Chamundi Express to Ashokapuram Station will be a reality, he added. “Once the Satellite Terminal Railway Station at Naganahalli becomes a reality, there will be scope for additional trains to Mysuru. He also said that efforts were on to extend Kacheguda Express to Mysuru city,” he revealed.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Aparna Garg, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Hemanth, MLC K.T. Srikantegowda and others were present.

Yesterday when the MP flagged off the inaugural run of Mysuru-Chennai Express from City Railway Station, Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, MLCs Sandesh Nagaraj and Marithibbegowda were present.

TRAIN TIMINGS

Regular services of Mysuru – Chennai train will begin from Mysuru from Jan. 17 (tomorrow). Train No. 12610 will depart from Mysuru at 4.45 am and reach KSR (Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Station) Bengaluru at 7.45 am. Enroute it will stop at Pandavapura, Mandya, Maddur, Channapattana, Ramanagaram and Kengeri. It will depart from Bengaluru at 8.02 am to reach Chennai at 2.30 pm.

Today, Train No. 12609 Chennai-Mysuru Express departed from Chennai at 1.35 pm and will reach KSR Bengaluru at 8.05 pm. It is scheduled to depart at 8.10 pm to reach Mysuru at 11.30 pm. There is no change in timings of this train between Chennai and Bengaluru.

Train No. 17325/17326 Hubballi-Mysuru-Hubballi Vishwamanava Express has been extended to Ashokapuram. The regular extended service of Train No. 17325/17326 Hubballi – Ashokapuram – Hubballi Vishwamanava Express will begin from Jan. 17. It will depart from Ashokapuram at 5.15 am to arrive at Mysuru at 5.25 am and leave Mysuru at 5.50 am to reach Hubballi at 6.50 pm.

In the return direction, Train No. 17325 Hubballi-Ashokapuram Vishwamanava Express will depart from Hubballi at 8.30 am to arrive in Mysuru at 8.40 pm. It will depart from Mysuru at 8.55 pm to reach Ashokapuram at 9.15 pm.