BENGALURU: Following public demand for an overnight journey, the Bengaluru Railway Division decided to run the superfast special day train between Bengaluru and Belagavi as a night train a week ago. However, the occupancy figures do not seem to pick up. A similar scene persists with regard to the Bengaluru-Mysuru train when it comes to occupancy.
Statistics released by the Division over the last 10 days for the Bengaluru-Mysuru train (Train no. 06505/06504) reveals that the occupancy has never crossed 13% on this train in either direction. Out of the 1426 seats, all of them chair car (2S), the maximum occupancy has been 158 seats on June 22 from Mysuru to KSR station. It has even had 35 seats only occupied on June 28.The night train too does not seem to have helped in boosting occupancy on the Belagavi special train. Statistics released since June 26 reveal that the occupancy figure for this train which leaves KSR at 9 pm and reaches Belagavi at 7.25 am ranged between 0 to 29% across its First AC, Second AC, Sleeper and Second chair classes when it departed from Bengaluru.
On the return journey from Belagavi, which follows similar timings, the figures were similar. A total of 146 seats out of 1,426 were occupied on June 29 while the maximum occupancy on the route has been 200 seats on June 30.Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Bangalore Division, A N Krishna Reddy said, “The patronage is picking up on the train between Bengaluru and Belagavi. “
A railway official told The New Sunday Express, “There is generally a lack of inclination to travel anywhere due to fear of the pandemic. So, this huge dip in ridership is being witnessed.”Meanwhile, three passenger trains in the Bengaluru Railway Division will be converted into express trains, namely, the Shivamogga Town-Mysuru Passenger, the KSR-Bengaluru-Hospete Passenger, the Hubballi-Vijayawada Passenger