Friday, November 14, 2014

The Train Facility - An Inadequate Advantage

The train- it's definitely a much needed mode of transport, that finally took shape after lots of dilly-dallying.(read from CC archive) The train passing through Chintamani has a lukewarm response from the general public. However, there are a good number of people who are using the train as a mode of transport, especially towards Bangalore. When CC did a reality check on the Bangalore Passenger Train, that arrives at the Chintamani station at 3:00 pm and departs at 3:02 pm, there were around 150 passengers waiting to alight the train, most of the passengers  bound to Shidlaghatta. The Bangalore Passenger which was flagged-off last February travels roundabout, passing through Shidlaghatta, Yelahanka, Krishnarajapuram and reaches the Majestic Railway Station in Bangalore at 6:30-6:45 pm.  The train fare of Rs 25 to Bangalore makes it very economical, but the fact that the train is scheduled at an inconvenient time for the daily commuters to Bangalore makes this train less preferable. If the train is scheduled in the early morning to Bangalore, this could help thousands of people who work in Bangalore to commute daily. Tumkur and Bangarpet are the examples of how the train facility to the state capital could help the working population and the college going students of those towns. Mr K.H.Muniyappa, MP from our constituency, during his tenure as a railway minister  revived this rail route, but  the railway minister Sadananda Gowda, also from Karnataka forgot to smile at us  in the 2014 Railway Budget. Hope the newly anointed railway minister Mr Suresh Prabhu will inflict some more activity by adding new train along this route.