Reintroduction of DEMU as an express train termed retrograde

Passengers will not only have to shell out more fare but also cannot enjoy the benefits of speedy travel

The decision to reintroduce the Madgaon-Mangaluru-Madgaon DEMU Passenger train as an Express Special by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. has disappointed the travelling public who said that the conversion into an express train was retrograde. While running as a passenger train, the train was halting at 28 stations excluding the originating and destination stations thereby serving almost all stations en route. When it was made an express train, halts at 10 stations were eliminated thereby depriving passengers in those stations affordable commuting options, regretted rail activist Gopalakrishna Bhat from Mangaluru. The eliminated halts include Bali and Loliem in Goa, Harwad and Chitrapura in Uttara Kannada, Shiroor, Bijur, Innanje, Padubidri and Nandikoor in Udupi and Thokur in Dakshina Kannada districts. While elimination of halts should have reduced the travel time, there was no change in the travel time either, Mr. Bhat said.