Vijayapura: After a prolonged gap caused by Covid pandemic, the two trains, Vijayapura-Mangaluru, daily special express and Hubballi-Vijayapura passenger train will resume their services from December 1.
The South Western Railways (SWR) has restored over 80 train services, which were discontinued since the first wave of novel Coronavirus. The railway authorities have decided to reinstate two more trains to the above list as one daily express and passenger train will be operated from Vijayapura from the first week of December.
According to the officials of SWR, “Vijayapura-Mangaluru (07377) daily special express train will chug-off from December 1 and Mangaluru-Vijayapura (07378) from December 2. Similarly, Hubballi-Vijayapura (06919) passenger train service will be kick-started from December 1 and Vijayapura-Hubballi (06920) from December 3.”
The Vijayapura-Mangaluru express train will comprise five general, six sleeper and a third-AC compartments in it whereas Hubballi-Vijayapura passenger train will have only general compartments.
The online reservation service for the express train has already started.
Ashok Hallur, Chairman of Vijayapura Railway Action Committee, said that, “It is a good development. These two train services were much needed for this region. Vijayapura-Mangaluru train will help the tourists and labour section as many people from this region migrate to coastal areas in search of better livelihood.Vijayapura-Hubballi passenger train will help daily commuters mainly for the working class. These two trains will ease the burden on passengers as people can travel at an affordable cost. Meanwhile, the authorities should also introduce Vijayapura-Yeshvantapura express train,” urged activist Hallur.
At present only four pairs of daily express trains are being operated from Vijayapura. The express trains are Gol Gumbaz Express, Basava Express, Hubballi-Secunderabad Express and Gadag-Mumbai Express among others.
Aneesh Hegde, Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO), said that, “After the approval of railway board the two trains are being restored. These two trains will resume the service from December 1. The online ticket booking facility for express trains has already begun. With regard to introduction of Vijayapura-Yeshvantapura daily express train, the demand will be examined,” added CPRO Hegde.
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