Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS) Janak Kumar Garg (right) holds a meeting with Divisional Railway Manager Mudit Mittal (second from right) and other senior officials of South Western Railway’s Mysuru Division, in Mysuru on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety Janak Kumar Garg has asked the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway to submit a detailed proposal for the construction of a crossing station at Arebetta on the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section of Hassan-Mangaluru line that can enhance train handling capacity of the Ghat section.Mr. Garg also asked the Division to convince him the feasibility of other plans to create more paths for train operations on the Ghat section, including construction of catch sidings and changing the interlocking system. The CCRS was holding a meeting at the Divisional office with senior officials on Wednesday, in Mysuru.Increasing pathsDivisional Railway Manager Mudit Mittal told The Hindu that the Division’s priority was to increase the paths on the Ghat section so that more number of trains could be operated. It has urged the CCRS to relax Ghat restrictions earlier imposed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on train operations. The restrictions included no freight train should trail a passenger train on the down direction, while a passenger train should not trail a freight train on the up direction, among other restrictions.Mr. Mittal said space was available at Yadakumari Station to construct a catch siding to prevent the possible rolling down of a stationary train when stopped to give way for another train (crossing). The Division was keen on constructing a catch siding at this location. However, little space was available at Kadagaravalli Station, he said.The Division also urged the CCRS permit following the interlocking system operated on the Braganza Ghat between Castle Rock and Kulem on Castle Rock-Madgaon section of the SWR. For this, Mr. Garg asked the Division to give complete details.Arebetta stationOn the proposed Arebetta Crossing station, which was being pushed by Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary, Mr. Mittal said tracks were already laid by the Division at the location. Once the CCRS gives nod for the plan by the Division, the crossing station could be made operational at the site, he said.The meeting also included deliberations on the working rules governing train operations in the Ghat section, with a strong emphasis on maintaining safety standards and operational discipline. In addition, several other matters related to railway safety and safe train operations were discussed during the interaction. Published - May 28, 2026 08:32 pm IST
