Mangaluru Mail: Old bogeys rich in history Premium

The rich history of the iconic Mangaluru Mail train connecting Chennai to the Western coast.

At 8.10 p.m. every night from Chennai Central, a slice of history leaves the Tamil Nadu plains and heads towards the Western coast. Mangaluru Mail is one of the oldest trains in Southern Railway and its original number was 1 with the return down trip numbered at 2.

Back then it was the Mangalore Mail before the Kannada twang caused a minor change in nomenclature. Having commenced operations in 1867, initially to Calicut (Kozhikode), the train moved all the way to Karnataka’s coastal town.

Initially pulled by a steam engine, the transition towards diesel and now electric, was gradual. Years later when computerisation of railway bookings clicked in, its numerical reference changed and now it is labelled at 12601 and 12602. The railway line to northern Kerala and coastal Karnataka was launched by the British as a tool to help transfer hill-produce, spices, tea, coffee and timber from Malabar and Coorg to the plains and Madras port.

The advent of the Mangalore Mail also helped people migrate towards the Madras Presidency, for education and jobs. The original Udupi hotel owners now based in Chennai, first took this train while leaving their homes in Mangalore, Udupi and Kundapura.

It was the same with Malayalis from Kasaragod to Shoranur, and they too got into setting up tea shops, hole-in-the-wall bakeries, while also seeking jobs in factories in the western suburbs. The train was also favoured by those in the field of arts. Directors like I.V. Sasi and multi-faceted artistes like Sreenivasan took this train and sought greener pastures in Kodambakkam.

It is no surprise that in actor Sreenivasan’s son Vineeth’s recent films, the odd hat-tip to Mangalore Mail is placed. It was not just about people from the west coast rushing for a break in Chennai, this train also helped devotees from Tamil Nadu head towards Guruvayur and Mookambika with the alighting points being Kuttipuram and Mangaluru, respectively.

In recent times, there are those who use this train to head to Manipal, while pursuing higher education. Over the years other trains were launched like the West Coast Express, a favourite of legendary star and former Chief Minister MGR, especially when he travelled to Mookambika temple. And the latest addition is the superfast express that leaves in the evening.