Ne Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday defended the Railway Board’s decision to transfer the Mangaluru railway area from the Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division to the Mysuru Division of the South Wes…

Ne Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday defended the Railway Board’s decision to transfer the Mangaluru railway area from the Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division to the Mysuru Division of the South Western Railway (SWR) zone, saying the move was aimed solely at improving operational efficiency.The decision, set to take effect from October 1, 2026, has drawn protests in Kerala. A group of Kerala MPs met the minister to urge a review.Vaishnaw told them that the Mangaluru region is currently served by three different entities — Southern Railway, South Western Railway and the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). Trains arriving from the Goa or Hassan sides have to cross multiple operational boundaries and interchange points before reaching the station, leading to avoidable delays, control difficulties and congestion.Mangaluru railway network to shift to South Western Railway from October 1“This has created a multiplicity of operational areas within a compact and traffic-critical stretch of the network,” the minister said. The Railways is rationalising the arrangement by placing the entire Mangaluru area under a single zone — South Western Railway — to eliminate interchange conflicts and enable smoother operations.Vaishnaw described the change as a routine boundary realignment of the kind periodically undertaken across the network to reduce operational bottlenecks, a statement said. On the broader development of railways in Kerala, the minister noted that investment has risen sharply over the past decade — from Rs 372 crore during the previous Congress-led government to Rs 3,795 crore in 2026-27 under the present central government, the statement added. He said this higher funding has yielded concrete results, including the completion of six doubling and gauge-conversion projects, construction of 131 flyovers and underpasses, 100 per cent electrification of the state’s network, and redevelopment of 16 stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.Projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crore are currently under execution in Kerala, covering nine multi-tracking and new-line works, 145 flyovers and underpasses, and the redevelopment of 19 stations. Six Vande Bharat and six Amrit Bharat train services have also been introduced for the state, he added.Vaishnaw, however, pointed to land acquisition delays as a constraint on further progress. Of the 618 hectares required for ongoing projects, the state government has so far acquired only 78 hectares (13 per cent), leaving 540 hectares still pending. The Railways has already deposited ₹1,976 crore with the Kerala government for the purpose, the minister said.

Source: Deccan Herald