City-bound train to have 3-hour halt enroute from Thursday

In a move that is already drawing criticism, the Bengaluru Railway Division on Wednesday announced a stoppage of 3 hours and 20 minutes for a MEMU special that will depart from Dharmavaram.
Image for representational purpose only
Image for representational purpose only

BENGALURU: In a move that is already drawing criticism, the Bengaluru Railway Division on Wednesday announced a stoppage of 3 hours and 20 minutes for a MEMU special that will depart from Dharmavaram. The move will come into effect from Thursday (May 27). This is because the train’s destination has been changed from Banaswadi to KSR (Bengaluru City) station.

Train No.06595/06596 will depart from KSR at 7.15 am and reach Dharmavaram at 12 noon. In the return direction, it will depart from Dharmavaram at 12.30 pm and reach KSR Bengaluru only at 8.35 pm. This is because of a stoppage of 3 hours and 20 minut e s at Sathya Sai Prashanti Nilayam (SSPN) railway station. The train that ar rives at 1.20 pm will depart only at 4.40 pm.

A very influential railway forum, Karnataka Railways Users tweeted in a lighter vein,”The stoppage for the MEMU Special at SS PN deserves to be recorded in Limca Book of Records.” A few more tweets followed with one pointing out that the train would end up taking 8 hours for a 180 km trip. A few insisted that the route be given a rethink again.

Divisional Railway Manager A K Verma said, “This was because the same rake was utilised to merge two different train routes: the Bengaluru City- SS PN-Dharmavaram and the SSPN-SBC. Dharmavaram cannot hold the rake for long time. Therefore, to start return journey at a time suitable to passengers, the train is brought to SSPN for stabling.” If that was not done, then the trip between SS PN and Dharmavaram would have to be cancelled, he added.

“Morning train timings are useful to all the sections including those at Dharmavaram. If we do not take the train up to Dharmavaram, the people who need to go there will not have any mode of transportation,” the DRM said.

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