MPs demand train service to Ayodhya ahead of opening of Ram temple

MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje have sought a direct train facility from coastal Karnataka to Ayodhya as the city gets ready for the opening of Ram temple on January 22.

MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje have sought a direct train facility from coastal Karnataka to Ayodhya as the city gets ready for the opening of Ram temple on January 22.

With the Central government actively encouraging public transport connectivity to Ayodhya —air and rail— to facilitate devotees’ visit to the pilgrimage centre, the MPs recently wrote to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to sanction one service from the Karnataka coast also.

Enclosing a letter of Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna seeking train connectivity between coastal Karnataka and Ayodhya, Ms. Karandlaje said, “Ayodhya holds immense cultural and religious significance for a large section of our population. Pilgrims and tourists from Karnataka, especially the coastal regions, often embark on journeys to Ayodhya for religious purposes.”

Mr. Kateel, representing Dakshina Kannada and Ms. Karandlaje, a Union Minister of State, representing Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituencies, have said the proposed train should cover the entire coastal Karnataka.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30 inaugurated the Ayodhya Dham railway station, renovated at an estimated cost of ₹220 crore.

Railway passenger associations have said the proposed train should ideally start from Subrahmanya Road station at Nettana in Dakshina Kannada district that caters to the popular pilgrimage centre Kukke Subrahmanya.

It should run via Kabakaputtur, Mangaluru Central, Udupi, Karwar and Madgaon before taking the usual path other North-bound trains take.