New day train from city to M'lore a big hit

New day train from city to M'lore a big hit

Bosky Khanna. Bangalore



The Bangalore-Mangalore day train, which first started plying only late last month, is quite a hit — there are people vying to get on that ride to enjoy the picturesque view of the Sakleshpura Ghat.
The train, launched on August 29, now runs at full capacity. Advance booking — tickets can be booked three months in advance — accounts for 58 per cent of the train occupancy.
Those wishing to take the train on September 9 better rush: there are only 22 seats available for that day. And if you want your ride on September 18, you can only get on the waiting list, as all seats are taken already. In view of the high demand, South-western railway is contemplating increasing the frequency of the train, to make it a daily train. At present, it runs only twice a week.
There is a need to add coaches, and a proposal for increasing these has been placed before the Centre. The day train takes ten-and-a-half hours to reach Mangalore; the night train takes two hours more as it travels via Mysore. There are a large number of people booking for stations along the way — Tumkur and Hassan, for instance.