Rail Link Blackout: Five‑Month Shutdown to Hit Bengaluru–Coast Corridors
Train operations between Bengaluru and the Karnataka coast will face sweeping disruptions for roughly five months as South Western Railway suspends half of its coastal services to upgrade tracks and wire them for electric traction along the Sakleshpur–Subrahmanya Road ghat.
Beginning June 1 and lasting until November 1, engineers will focus on safety fortification and full electrification, forcing six regular expresses off the rails:
- Yeshwantpur–Mangaluru Jn. Weekly Express (16539) – Saturday departure scrubbed May 31–Nov 1
- Mangaluru Jn.–Yeshwantpur Weekly Express (16540) – Sunday run axed Jun 1–Nov 2
- Yeshwantpur–Mangaluru Jn. Tri‑Weekly (16575) – Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday trips halted Jun 1–Oct 30
- Mangaluru–Yeshwantpur Tri‑Weekly (16576) – Monday, Wednesday, Friday services pulled Jun 2–Oct 31
- Yeshwantpur–Karwar Tri‑Weekly (16515) – Monday, Wednesday, Friday outings cancelled Jun 2–Oct 31
- Karwar–Yeshwantpur Tri‑Weekly (16516) – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday legs erased Jun 3–Nov 1
Companion services such as the Gomateshwara Express, Karwar Express, and Mangaluru Central Weekly Special are likewise sidelined for the entire work window.
In total, six of twelve Bengaluru–coast trains are shelved, shrinking daily capacity and lengthening journeys across the Western Ghats. Commuters, tourists, and business travellers should lock in alternate plans—whether via road coaches, diverted rail routes through Hubballi, or early‑morning flights—to avoid last‑minute scrambles.
Rail officials promise the overhaul will yield faster, greener, and more reliable links once wires are energized in November, but until then, flexibility and foresight are commuters’ best tickets.
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