Title - The connectivity challenge

For a city breaking into the million-plus category of urban conurbation and projected as an important investment destination with potential for growth, connectivity holds the key for future expansion. And a mass mode of transportation providing link to the rest of the State and major destinations across the country is a critical factor in fostering industrial development and accelerating urbanisation of Mysore. Here, nothing can beat the advantages held out by railways when compared to other modes of transportation. While improvement and expansion of roads is undeniable, it is equally true that the cost benefit advantages of railways, especially for long distance travel, is hard to beat by other modes of transport. Hence it was not surprising that stakeholders represented by the business community and NGOs made a strong case for improved rail links connecting Mysore not only with the rest of the State but with the rest of the country at the recent Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee meeting held in the city. This also brings to the fore the institutional mechanism evolved by the authorities to elicit public feedback and respond to them in the medium to long term. The demands are many and as varied as the daily commuters and passengers using the railways. Though not all of them may materialise in the immediate future, a case is being built for their sanction in the future.

 The business community represented by the Mysore Chamber of Commerce and Industry spoke for a majority of the people when it strongly pitched for an additional express train connecting Mysore and Bangalore in the morning hours. At present, there is a gap of more than four hours after the departure of the Chamundi Express at 6.45 a.m. before another express service, Tipu Express, leaves Mysore for Bangalore at 11 a.m.  

Major demand

Hence the MCCI President Sudhakar Shetty pleaded for the introduction of an express service at 7.30 a.m. so that people could reach Bangalore by 10 a.m. A long-pending demand of a majority of the daily commuters as also frequent travellers to Bangalore, the issue has already been put up by the railway officials with the Board. But there is a catch here. As the Divisional Railway Manager Vinod Kumar and Senior Commercial Divisional Manager Anup Dayanand Sadhu pointed out, Mysore station receives five trains from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. while nine  trains depart between 4.30 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. and hence the station was saturated.  

 But with the completion of the track doubling work on the Bangalore-Mysore scheduled for December 2013, the track capacity will be augmented and additional express services between the two cities is bound to be a reality. However, there is concern over the delay in land acquisition in Mandya and the shifting of the armoury at Srirangapatna which could not only escalate the cost but put off the completion by another six to eight months.

 Connectivity to Bangalore always holds importance to Mysore as the former is a major transportation hub from where services by way of rail, road or air is easily available to the rest of the country. What is important is the need to reduce the commuting time and it is here that the track doubling work comes into the picture. For, it is expected to reduce the commuting time, for at least non-stop services, to 100 minutes while the regular services with halts at important stations may cover the distance of 139 km in about two hours.

At present, most trains take more about three hours or more, barring the Shatabdi Express, to complete the Bangalore-Mysore leg.  Apart from Bangalore, the business community in Mysore has made a strong plea for increasing the frequency of the Mumbai-bound Sharavati Express.

According to Mr. Sudhakar Shetty and other stakeholders, the train, since its inception years ago, has been running to full capacity and not withstanding the demand, the railway authorities have not increased its frequency.  A legitimate demand for which the railway officials have to come out with a solution as the issue has been discussed for more than five years! This will not only benefit people of Mysore seeking direct connectivity to the commercial capital of the country but also other major centres in Karnataka such as Hassan, Arsikere, Davanagere and Hubli. Similarly, there is a request to increase the frequency of the Mysore-Ajmer train from weekly to four days in a week.

 It has been argued that the industrial estate comprising Hootagalli, Metagalli and Belawadi is the largest of its kind in the State after Peenya in Bangalore and hence the members have sought stoppage of Mysore-Ariskere trains at the industrial area. There are other demands including providing stoppages to a few trains including the Mysore-Talguppa Intercity Express at Kadur and introduction of another daily day train between Bangalore and Mangalore via Mysore.