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Mysore-track doubling is fine, what about the single line to Mangalore?
silkboard - 9 August, 2007 | Traffic | Bangalore | Mangalore
GVK started that active discussion to inquire about Mysore track doubling progress. What about Mangalore line? Any idea what is up here? I hear 1) the railways guys say that track work is complete, it is only pending some verification/certification sort of thing. I also heard 2) goods trains have already rin the new track. Both point #1 and #2 are unconfirmed - I picked these either from hearsay or from letters to editors in DH/TOI. Anyone knows more? Why is connectivity to the port city with so much potential for trade and tourism such a big and slow deal?
COMMENTS
Mangalore track is ready - But railways worried about safety
Vasanth - 10 August, 2007 - 01:50
Mangalore - Hassan track is ready and trains can run from Bangalore - Arsikere - Hassan - Mangalore. But, there were lot of accidents (but undisclosed) of the Goods trains in this route & railways is worried about the safety issues. Railways is not confident. But, it invested so much in Guage Conversion & cannot say it openly. For these kind of hilly regions narrower trains such as Metre Gauge / Narrow Gauge is ideal. But, because of Uni Gauge project, railways converted this line to BG. Weight of the BG trains & engines is more compared to MG/NG trains. Trains will slide because of the overweight. Even BG trains cannot negotiate curves like MG/NG trains. Railways should have retained MG on this route. Passengers wouldn't have been deprived of train service from past 11 year. For Bangalore - Mangalore / Mysore - Mangalore passengers, only there would have been a train change at Hassan. Let us wait and see what action SWR takes.
gauge conversion not justified?
silkboard - 10 August, 2007 - 04:29
It is too late to raise that point now. But do you know what was the real motivation behind Railway's Unigauge project? Was it cost savings - by way of having one type of engines coaches. Or was it done in the name of providing connectivity? If it was connectivity, then not a good enough reason. Because connectivity doesn't mean having a single train from remote point X to remote point Y. It is about having efficient hubs and interchange points with synchronized timings. Isn't Konkan Railway done on similar type of terrain? Perhaps they didn't have problems because they picked their route. But here, railways had to reuse the existing meter gauge route. How about those rumors of bus operators working behind the scenes to delay the train? any truth in those, or all just gossip?
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