Marks Silver Jubilee With Cleanliness Drive

Marks Silver Jubilee With Cleanliness Drive
The Times of India

Bangalore: The Bangalore railway division celebrated its silver jubilee in a novel way — by kicking off a cleanliness drive on Monday. T N Perti, general manager, South Western Railway, tried his hand at cleaning a platform with the scr ubber-cum-vacuum cleaner.

He inaugurated the new machines, which were purchased when the railways handed over the cleaning contract to a private agency, on Monday. The agency purchased six scr ubber-cum-vacuum cleaners at a cost of Rs 30 lakh.

Perti said the cleanliness campaign marked the railways’ commitment to public cleanliness in stations.

Speaking to reporters, Perti said the Bangalore division of the South Western Railway has achieved a dramatic increase in the number of passengers travelling from Bangalore over the last 25 years. Passenger travel has gone up almost three-fold from 18.78 million in 1981 to 51.40 million in 2005-06. The passenger earnings have also gone up to Rs 420 crore in 2005-06 from Rs 11.18 crore in 1981-82.

Perti added that the number of trains originating from Bangalore city now stands at 70 pairs and 17 pairs from Yeswantpur. The goods earnings correspondingly has increased over the last 25 years from Rs 5.47 crores to Rs 61 crores - a 10-fold increase.

He recalled that the Bangalore division was inaugurated on July 27, 1981, at a cost of Rs 547 lakhs. At the time of its formation, the only broad gauge line was from Bangalore city to Jolarpettai and Bangarpet to Marikuppam. But things changed after a unigauge policy was adopted and several lines were converted to broad gauge. The Bangalore-Jolarpettai section was even electrified in 1991.

CHANGE IN TRACKS
There is a change in stoppage of Ernakulam and Chennai weekly special trains. Ernakulam special which will leave Bangalore at 5.15 pm on Fridays and reach Ernakulam at 4.30 am, the next day, will run via Cantonment, KR Puram, Bangapret, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Ottapalam and Trichur. The train will not stop at Whitefied and Kuppam.

Similarly Chennai special, which will leave Bangalore at 9.30 pm on Fridays and reach Chennai at 3.55 am, the next day, will run via Cantonment, KR Puram, Whitefield, Bangarpet, Jolarpettai, Katpadi, Perambur and reach Chennai. The train will not stop at Kuppam.