Mangaluru Central Railway Station on October 1, 2026. Welcoming Mangaluru Railway Region’s integration with South Western Railway, Dakshina Kannada District Rail, an online patrons’ forum, said railway development should not bypass Mangaluru.
| Photo Credit: ANIL KUMAR SASTRY
Notwithstanding what it calls certain temporary setbacks, including special trains bypassing Mangaluru, the Dakshina Kannada District Rail, an online forum of patrons, hopes that railway infrastructure and services in Mangaluru Region will get a boost with the region’s integration with the Mysuru division of South Western Railway (SWR) from October 1.
As news of the integration was filtering out, festival special trains operated from the State capital to coastal Karnataka (Yevantpur-Madgaon-Yesvantpur) for the Ganapati Festival and Gandhi Jayanthi extended weekend skipped Mangaluru altogether and were operated via Padil bypass, the forum stated. This was despite MP Captain Brijesh Chowta seeking festival special trains between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. “We welcome new trains and new infrastructure, but development must include Mangaluru and not bypass the city. Mangaluru deserves to be served and not bypassed,” it said.
Regarding Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s announcement to extend Madgaon-Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express to Yeshwantpur, the forum stated that Mangaluru City, nevertheless, deserves a dedicated VB service to the State capital. There is also a fear that the schedule of the Mangaluru Junction-Yesvantpur tri-weekly Gomateshwara Express could be affected because of the Madgaon-Yesvantpur Vande Bharat, it stated. A premium service should not affect the common man’s service.
New era of development
Welcoming Mangaluru’s integration with SWR, the forum stated that the new association marks the beginning of a new era of railway development for Mangaluru and coastal Karnataka. Mangaluru is a major passenger, freight, and port-connected railway centre with immense potential. The new chapter is expected to bring better infrastructure, more trains, improvement in punctuality, and better connectivity with the rest of Karnataka and the country.
Development of Mangaluru Central
Being the principal railway station of the region and one of the very few stations in India bearing the ‘Central’ tag, the forum wants Mangaluru Central to immediately get a modern terminal infrastructure, along with improved passenger facilities, adequate capacity, coaching and maintenance infrastructure, and facilities to handle future growth.
Mangaluru Central Railway Station. DK District Rail, an online forum of railway patrons, has demanded a modern terminal infrastructure at Mangaluru Central following the region’s integration with South Western Railway on October 1, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
ANIL KUMAR SASTRY
The Mangaluru–Hassan–Bengaluru corridor is vital for coastal Karnataka, it stated, seeking speeding up doubling and capacity enhancement of the section, including the Subrahmanya Road-Sakleshpur Ghat section.
There is also a need for a mainline electrical multiple unit (MEMU) maintenance shed in Mangaluru to operate MEMU services for local travel., it stated
Published – October 01, 2026 02:00 pm IST
