Vasanth - 25 October, 2008 | Bangalore | railways | Mysore | suggestion | double line | public transport

Mysore Bangalore track doubling is going to be completed by 2011. But, this is not the end of the woes to the travellers. The effective utilization of the doubled track by railways is the key to success.

The ever increasing KSRTC fares between the two cities has made the commute between two cities very expensive. The existing trains have become too slow and taking more than 3+ hours with additional buffer time of 1 hour for buying tickets. This has made railways unattractive to a normal commuter followed by the crowded trains. Expensive KSRTC buses has made people to drive to Mysore.

Silkboard recently had posted how dangerous it has become now with people driving on the wrong side, deadly U turns, maze driving etc.It is not safe to drive. A small hit, you may have to travel to Police station in the hitting area for years together with your vehicle seized by local police and probably damaged by the police as well as 'local heroes' of the town.

When the broadgauge train was started between Bangalore and Mysore way back in 1992 and when it became stabilized by 1993, non-stop train Tippu used to cover the distance from Mysore station to Bangalore station in just 1 hour 50 minutes flat and to Nayandahalli (entrance of Bangalore on Mysore route) in just 1 hour 40 minutes since there was no stopping and crossing. Currently the same train takes 2hrs 30minutes due to crossings and stopping. Earlier passenger shuttle trains used to cover the distance in 3 hours which is the time taken now by the Non-stop Bangalore-Mysore buses. Onroad, just to cover the distance from Mysore to Nayandahalli in 2 hours, one has to drive constantly at 90+ kph or take the Volvos by paying 225+. Reaching CBD of Bangalore, Majestic takes another 45 minutes to 1 hour on the crowded Mysore road.

Trains that are running now to Mysore are just extended trains of Bangalore such as Tuticorn express, Tirupathi Express, Ajmer express and very few Bangalore-Mysore trains. Most of these long running trains run late, which in turn delays the crossings of regular Bangalore-Mysore trains and thereby delaying the whole system. Other reason in the delay is the increased number of rakes or compartments. As I mentioned in the other post, the track is not level and straight between Bangalore and Mysore. Increased number of rakes need more powerful engines such as the WDP4 or Electrification with powerful Electric engines which is not done in Bangalore-Mysore route.

I would suggest the following to the railways:

1. After doubling, run a non-stop train followed by an express and then followed by a passenger train within an hour. Start Garibrath and Jan Shatabdi between two towns each running at opposite directions and leaving at the same time. This sequence will prevent waiting of non-stop train behind express and passenger train and express waiting behind passenger trains. Also, intermediate cities like Mandya,Channapatna and Ramanagaram will demand for stops of the non-stop train if there is no express train following immediately. Start Garib Rath airconditioned and Jan Shatabdi trains and make them to do 2 to and fro trips once in morning and once in evening. Garib rath can cost around 150 rupees seeing the fare per km as per other Garib rath trains and Janshatabdi may cost around 75 rupees. Comfort of Garib rath is comparable to Volvo and Janshatabdi to semi sleeper buses.
2. Avoid or run minimum long distance trains on this route. Just run Bangalore-Mysore trains. People travelling further are minimum as per my observation and can always change the train at Bangalore. Run long distance trains only during nights.
3. Electify the track along with doubling to reduce the cost, pollution and increase the speed for the increased rake. If not electrified, powerful engines like WDP4 should be used.
4. Run EMUs (Electrical Multiple Units) like the Mumbai Local Train for passenger shuttle trains and may be can be tried for express trains also. EMUs have got excellent pickup and sudden stopping capability compared to normal trains.
5. Run 5 trains during morning and evening times from each direction with 1 non-stop, 2 express and 2 passenger trains. Run 3 trains in each direction with 1 non-stop followed by express followed by passenger in each direction from 10 AM to 6PM. Run long distance trains only between 8PM to 8AM.
6. Allocate seperate compartments to season ticket and railway pass holders since they occupy most of the seats (this applies to entire Indian railway system). This system can have non-stop trains running once in every 3 hours, express train every 3 hours and passenger every 3 hours. A non-stop can cover the distance in 2 hours at around 55 rupees to 75 rupees,airconditioned non-stop (Garib rath) at 150 rupees, express in 2hrs 30 minutes at 45 rupees, a passenger in 3 hours to 3 hours 15 minutes at 22 rupees. Compare this to KSRTC far which starts at 83 rupees and the NICE road where the toll for car starts at 200 rupees (2 rupees per km for a car).

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