In a major boost to the residents of Coimbatore and Bengaluru, Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu has announced that a new train would be operated at the earliest between the two destinations.
Speaking at a function in Chennai on Saturday, Prabhu said, "The train will connect two important cities, that is Coimbatore, one of India's largest industrial centres, with Bengaluru, one of the largest technology centres."
Stating that there is a huge demand between these two sectors, Prabhu held out an assurance that the service will begin in the shortest possible time and the rolling stock for it is being arranged soon. However, the minister did not specify whether it will be a day or overnight service.
With not a single train originating from Coimbatore to Bengaluru, there has been an ever growing demand to operate an overnight train between these two cities.
A senior railway official said the train was a long-pending demand of residents and the trading community of Coimbatore. "When an initial survey was done for a new train we found that there were 300 buses from Coimbatore to Bengaluru every night way back in 2008. The numbers should have gone up now. This was in addition to the buses from Ernakulam that were routed via Coimbatore."
Chairman, Coimbatore Railway User Welfare Association, M Jameel Ahamed, said, "We request the railway ministry to operate the train, overnight. Most youngsters from Coimbatore work in the IT sector in Bengaluru and they are forced to use Omni and SETC bus services. At present, very few seats are allotted for Coimbatore passengers on the Kanyakumari-Bengaluru Express. If there is an exclusive train between the two cities, the residents of Coimbatore can avoid travelling by bus."
G K Nagaraj, coordinator, Coimbatore railway struggle committee, said, "Over 60 private omni and more than 100 state transport corporation buses are operated to Bengaluru from Coimbatore every day. If the new train is operated overnight, passengers will completely shift from bus services."
With Omni bus operators charging anywhere between Rs 800 and Rs 1,000 per ticket on weekdays and increasing it by 40% on Fridays and Sundays, many hope that new train service would help them reach Bengaluru within a limited fare structure.
Last year, the railway ministry announced that a new double decker product called the Uday Express would be operated between the two destinations during the day. Though the timings and train numbers were slotted, the Uday Express has not seen the light of day due to non-availability of rake.
Speaking at a function in Chennai on Saturday, Prabhu said, "The train will connect two important cities, that is Coimbatore, one of India's largest industrial centres, with Bengaluru, one of the largest technology centres."
Stating that there is a huge demand between these two sectors, Prabhu held out an assurance that the service will begin in the shortest possible time and the rolling stock for it is being arranged soon. However, the minister did not specify whether it will be a day or overnight service.
With not a single train originating from Coimbatore to Bengaluru, there has been an ever growing demand to operate an overnight train between these two cities.
A senior railway official said the train was a long-pending demand of residents and the trading community of Coimbatore. "When an initial survey was done for a new train we found that there were 300 buses from Coimbatore to Bengaluru every night way back in 2008. The numbers should have gone up now. This was in addition to the buses from Ernakulam that were routed via Coimbatore."
Chairman, Coimbatore Railway User Welfare Association, M Jameel Ahamed, said, "We request the railway ministry to operate the train, overnight. Most youngsters from Coimbatore work in the IT sector in Bengaluru and they are forced to use Omni and SETC bus services. At present, very few seats are allotted for Coimbatore passengers on the Kanyakumari-Bengaluru Express. If there is an exclusive train between the two cities, the residents of Coimbatore can avoid travelling by bus."
G K Nagaraj, coordinator, Coimbatore railway struggle committee, said, "Over 60 private omni and more than 100 state transport corporation buses are operated to Bengaluru from Coimbatore every day. If the new train is operated overnight, passengers will completely shift from bus services."
With Omni bus operators charging anywhere between Rs 800 and Rs 1,000 per ticket on weekdays and increasing it by 40% on Fridays and Sundays, many hope that new train service would help them reach Bengaluru within a limited fare structure.
Last year, the railway ministry announced that a new double decker product called the Uday Express would be operated between the two destinations during the day. Though the timings and train numbers were slotted, the Uday Express has not seen the light of day due to non-availability of rake.
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