Regular travellers between Tumakuru and Bengaluru want the railways to extend the Hosur-Banaswadi DEMU train, which has been suspended temporarily, to Nelamangala or Tumakuru.
It has been three months since the South Western Railway (SWR) cancelled the Banaswadi-Hosur DEMU train citing track renewal work in May. Railway officials had promised to restart the service in October.
"Tumakuru has become a suburban extension of Bengaluru but those returning from Bengaluru in the evening are suffering. After the 6.20 pm train, the next train to Tumakuru leaves after 11 pm. Thousands of people are forced to take buses, which are costly and get stuck in traffic snarls," said Karanam Ramesh, secretary, Tumakuru-Bengaluru Railway Prayanikara Vedike.
He said a train from the Krantivira (Bengaluru City) Sangolli Rayanna station at 8 pm would serve many people. There are 13 stations between the two cities, and the forum believes the evening train will benefit people travelling in both the directions.
Railway officials have previously cited platform congestion at KSR and Yeshwantpur stations to explain why extending trains to Tumakuru was not possible. Lokesh T P, of Karnataka Railway Vedike, however, said the Hosur-Banaswadi doesn't need to enter the city as it can bypass Yeshwantpur by taking the Chikkabanavar-Hebbal line.
"The DEMU train can be halted in Tumakuru so that it can be started early next morning. The station has four platforms now. While conventional trains may affect operations on the other tracks during the engine reversal, DEMU trains do not require such processes," he said.
Both the forums have said the railways should extend the train on a trial basis to assess the patronage. "Once a train starts, there will be no dearth of passengers. Officials should take the first step," Ramesh said.
Activists to remind Kumaraswamy of SPV promise
As the one-month deadline for setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for a suburban railway network promised by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy nears, volunteers from Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) and other activists will meet on Saturday to chalk out plans for ways to push for the speedy implementation of the project.
Following a high-level meeting with officials from railways and Niti Aayog on July 25, Kumaraswamy had promised to set up the SPV within a month and expedite some of the pending railway projects.
On Thursday, CfB will bring together hundreds of volunteers for a discussion on the need to make the government accountable for its promises while pushing for expediting projects that cater to immediate demands.
"Besides ensuring that the government fulfils its promise, we want it to address some of the immediate demands like streamlining services between Yeshwantpur and Hosur. We will also board the Hosur train to engage with the public and collect their opinion," said CfB member Srinivas Alavilli.