A heavenly ride on Mlore-Blore train

A heavenly ride on Mlore-Blore train
Ronald A Fernandes,DHNS:On board special train:
The delay cost the nature lovers dear as they missed some of the most breath-taking views in the picturesque valleys of Yedakumeri where there is a 8-degree curve, unusual on any normal train route as it was already dusk by the time the train reached the area.

Verdant valleys punctuating dozens of endless tunnels; cascading waterfalls downstream every other brook and hills nestling amid the Western Ghats. Perhaps a ride on the Mangalore-Bangalore passenger train could be the closest to heaven on earth as would be vouched for by the hundreds of people who made the inaugural special journey on Saturday.

The train was flagged off by Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav at 3 pm at Mangalore.

The inaugural journey, however, began on a sour note, as the flagging off initially scheduled for 1:25 pm, had to be delayed due to the usual latecomer-ministers and their lengthy harangues.

The delay cost the nature lovers dear as they missed some of the most breath-taking views in the picturesque valleys of Yedakumeri — where there is a 8-degree curve, unusual on any normal train route — as it was already dusk by the time the train reached the area.

However, the travellers were by then overwhelmed by whatever they could see up to the Siribagilu railway station.

Interestingly, it was not only those on the train that were celebrating. Thousands of people had lined up on either side of the track to see the return of the much-sought after Bangalore-Mangalore Passenger train. Undeterred by the fact that the train was running 95 minutes behind schedule, thousands of people greeted the train with full-throated ahoys up to Subramanya.

Huge crowds flocked the Kabaka Puttur and Subramanya stations to cheer the arrival of the train. They burst crackers and distributed sweets to the passengers.

When the train arrived at Hassan at 8:45 pm, former MLA H M Vishwanath felicitated the loco drivers — Mail Driver C Ramaswamy and Senior Loco Inspector R Nagaraj — who incidentally were part of the inaugural metregauge train on the same route way back in 1979.

Mail guard G Muralidhar who showed the green signal in the Mangalore railway station, had also flagged the green to the metregauge train in 1979.

A number of people on the train had not planned their journey. Be it former MP I M Jayaram Shetty and his wife, builder Hameed or engineer Siddiq, they had decided to board the train less than 30 minutes before its departure! There were others like arecanut trader Ramnik Patel and entrepreneur Adithya who were waiting to travel by this train for many months now.

“I had travelled on the Hassan-Mangalore route by the day train way back in 1995 and I can still recall that journey. The day journey will be a delight if you are a nature-lover. I think, hardly a few railway lines have the scope to pass through such a vast stretch of nature. It is time the railways think about introducing a day train on the route. It will be better if ‘Palace-on-Wheels’ type of trains are introduced on the route,” Adithya told Deccan Herald.

The 55-km-long ghat section between Subramanya Road and Sakleshpur is a trip through the nature’s as well as engineering marvels. There are 670 bridges including 91 major bridges, with the Ghat section alone having 110 curves and 57 tunnels.

But passengers will have to wait for many more months (or even years) to enjoy the beauty as at present the train leaves Mangalore at 7:45 pm and Bangalore at 8:35 pm. And it will pass through the beautiful locales of Western Ghats when it is completely shrouded in the dark.