Despite repeated requests, Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division did not extend Train No. 12133/12134 Mumbai CSMT-Mangaluru Junction-Mumbai CSMT Superfast Express to Mangaluru Central in Mangaluru.
| Photo Credit: H S MANJUNATH
Welcoming the Railway Ministry’s decision to integrate Mangaluru railway region with South Western Railway (SWR), Dakshina Kannada District Rail Users, an online forum of patrons, said the move can undo the historic injustice meted out to the region by Palakkad division of Southern Railway.Notwithstanding huge revenue generated in the Mangaluru region (about ₹695 crore in freight and ₹195 crore in passenger during 2025-26), the Palakkad division neither catered to the travelling needs of the people of coastal Karnataka, nor augmented the railway infrastructure in the region, according to the forum. Mangaluru has constantly received step-motherly treatment and was neglected when it came to railway development.Stifling needs of local passengersGiving an example, it stated that out of 35 pairs of coaching (passenger) trains operated out of Mangaluru region, 23 pairs catered to Kerala and Tamil Nadu while six each were operated towards Bengaluru and Mumbai. Of these 12 pairs, Palakkad division did not operate a single train towards Bengaluru while it operated only two pairs towards Mumbai.When Mumbai CSMT-Karwar tri-weekly was being extended to Mangaluru in 2010, the demand was to run the train up to Mangaluru Central. Citing platform constraint, Palakkad terminated the train at Mangaluru Junction (Train 12133/134). Platform constraint, however, did not stop the division from introducing the Mangaluru Central-Coimbatore Intercity Superfast Express (Train 22609/610) the very next year.Similar was the case with Yesvantpur-Mangaluru Junction tri-weekly Gomateshwara Express introduced in 2017. As per an announcement in the railway budget, the train was to operate from Yesvantpur in Bengaluru to Mangaluru Central. But, Palakkad division restricted the train to Mangaluru Junction citing either shortage of platforms, pit lines or stabling lines. Even after all these constraints were addressed in 2025-26, the division did not extend the Gomateshwara Express to Mangaluru Central.Historic neglectDespite Railway Ministry’s repeated announcements to upgrade Mangaluru Central to a world-class station, Southern Railway did not make any serious attempt to redevelop the century-old Mangaluru Central Railway Station, among the five ‘Central’ stations in the country. The station still lacks full-length platform shelters and other passenger amenities, according to the forum.The division did not double the Mangaluru Junction-Mangaluru Central line, thereby crippling enhanced train movement towards Mumbai and Bengaluru.Raises hopes of developmentWith Mangaluru to come under SWR from October 1, the forum hopes that the region will receive adequate attention in terms of infrastructure development and train connectivity towards Mumbai and the rest of Karnataka. The forum also insisted that there should be no attempt to bypass Mangaluru Junction or Mangaluru Central while operating trains towards the Konkan railway network (read Karwar). They want trains, including the Vande Bharat Express, to run specifically between Bengaluru and Mangaluru Central. Published - August 28, 2026 02:06 pm IST
