The Mangaluru Central-SVDK Navayug Weekly Express which is numbered 16687/688 was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. After its cancellation, it left a lacuna because there was no direct connection between Karnataka and Katra in Jammu. The Kanyakumari District Rail Users’ Association have therefore written to the Railway Ministry of India and has asked them to reroute the Kanyakumari-Sri Mata Vaishnodevi Katra or SVDK-Himsagar Weekly Express via Mangaluru Junction in the Konkan Railway Network.
Katra-Kanyakumari Himsagar Express Reroute Petitioned
The secretary of the association, Edward Jeni, in the letter, wrote to the ministry saying that the reroute will be extremely beneficial and more efficient. Not only will it fill the lacuna left by the cancellation of the Navayug Express, but it will also save Mangaluru passengers a whopping 20 hours of travel time.
The letter also stated that the current route traverses around 3,778 kilometres and takes 72 hours in the downward direction and 68.2 hours in the upward direction. However, if the proposed route is accepted and the train is rerouted, this will change.
The changed distance that will be traversed will be 3,573 kilometres. This is 215 kilometres less than the existing route. Navayug Express used to travel 3,686 kilometres and took 70 hours to cover it. The proposed route, which is shorter, would take around 50 hours to cover.
This means that passengers from Mangaluru save around 20 hours of travel time on the new proposed route if it is accepted. Association officials believe that it would be prudent to reroute the train as it will be more efficient and less time-consuming.
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Current Route Of The Train Versus The Proposed Route
The current route of the train is as follows: –
- Kanyakumari
- Trivandrum
- Ernakulam
- Coimbatore
- Katpady
- Tirupati
- Vijayawada
- Nagpur
- Bhopal
- Agra
- New Delhi
- Jammu Tawi
- Katra
The following route is proposed by Kanyakumari District Rail Users’ Association: –
- Kanyakumari
- Trivandrum
- Ernakulam
- Kozhikode
- Mangaluru Junction
- Madgaon
- Panvel
- Vadodara
- Kota
- Mathura
- New Delhi
- Jammu Tawi
- Katra
Also Read: Travelling In Trains At Night? Indian Railways Has New Night Rules For Express Trains & Passengers
Do you think the train should be rerouted? Let us know in the comments below!
Cover Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons