Railways plans new Vande Bharat train from Mumbai-Mangaluru
Mumbai: Indian Railways is planning to introduce a new Vande Bharat train service connecting Mumbai and Mangaluru.
According to Mathrabhumi, The plan involves merging the existing Mumbai-Goa and Mangaluru-Goa routes to create a direct service, allowing passengers to travel between Mumbai and Mangaluru in about 12 hours.
Currently, the Mumbai-Goa and Mangaluru-Goa Vande Bharat trains operate separately, with average passenger occupancy of around 70 percent.
However, the Mangaluru-Goa route has struggled with low demand, with occupancy below 40 percent. To improve efficiency and attract more passengers, Railways had initially considered extending the train to Kozhikode, but this idea was dropped due to opposition from political leaders in Karnataka.
The Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train initially had a high occupancy rate of around 90 percent, but this has now reduced to about 70 percent. Railways believe that combining the two services into a single Mumbai-Mangaluru route will help increase demand and ensure full occupancy.
There has been strong demand for better train connectivity between Mumbai and Mangaluru, and this new service is expected to benefit passengers by offering a faster and more efficient travel option.
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Siddaramaiah congratulates Shivakumar on completing six years as Cong state chief
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday congratulated his deputy D K Shivakumar on completing six years as the Congress state president.
He hailed Shivakumar's organisational skills and commitment to the party despite being "harassed" by the BJP in false cases.
"Congratulations to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on completing six years as the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'.
Shivakumar's organisational skills, ideological commitment and hard work are an example for all the young leaders of Congress, he said.
"Despite being harassed by the opposition BJP by filing false cases, Shivakumar has remained loyal to the party without giving in and is a testament to his uncompromising loyalty to the Congress party. This is an inspiring behavior for lakhs of Congress party workers," the CM said.
He lauded Shivakumar, saying that he worked day and night along with party leaders and workers to defeat the communal forces and bring the Congress party to power.
"Shivakumar has stood shoulder to shoulder with me in rebuilding the state as a garden of peace for all races. Shivakumar, who is younger than me, has a bright political future," Siddaramaiah said.
He said that it is a common desire to bring the Congress party to power in 2028. "I will also be with the party in organising and fighting for this."
Siddaramaiah congratulating Shivakumar comes on a day where the latter is going to throw a dinner party for Congress MLAs.
All eyes are set on the outcome of the "dinner meeting", which is happening in the midst of the power tussle in the ruling Congress between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.
