Konkan Railway leaves Panchagaga Express passengers stranded for four hours

Konkan Railway leaves Panchagaga Express passengers stranded for four hours

Mangalore Today News Network

Kundapur, November 2, 2024: Hundreds of passengers onboard Karwar-Bengaluru Panchaganga Express (Train 16596) and passengers waiting at stations from Kumta till Subrahmanya Road on Thursday remained stranded for four hours, as Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. pulled out its diesel locomotive to haul Mumbai Matsyagandha Express that had a loco failure near Ankola.

Passengers recalled that KRCL did not inform those waiting at stations about the delay, thereby enhancing the anxiety. Passengers onboard the train too had to face severe difficulties as they remained in Ankola, a small station bereft of many facilities, from 7 p.m. till 10 p.m.

According to information reaching here, Train No. 12620 Mangaluru Central-Mumbai Matsyagandha Express, hauled by an electric loco had a loco failure before it entered Ankola limits. KRCL authorities utilised the diesel loco of Panchaganga Express that had just reached Ankola to haul Matsyagandha Express to Ankola.

What surprised patrons and passenger associations was that instead of re-attaching the diesel loco to Panchaganga Express to facilitate its onward journey to Bengaluru, KRCL got the diesel loco to haul Matsyagandha till Mumbai, leaving Panchaganga Express passengers distraught.

Operational difficulties

Uttara Kannada Railway Seva Samithi secretary Rajeev Gaonkar said: “We can understand loco failure and temporary loco shifting to haul a stranded rake. However, what was the need to haul Matsyagandha Express till Mumbai using the diesel loco of Panchaganga Express when the entire line was electrified. Didn’t the authorities get any electric loco from anywhere,” he mused.

Consequently, Panchaganga Express was delayed by an average of four ours throughout and reached KSR Bengaluru at 11.16 a.m. instead of 7.15 a.m. on Friday.

Sreedhar Iyer posted on X: “The engine of the train opposite to Panchaganga Express (16596) failed. So they took our engine and attahced it to that train. Now we are stranded. #ankola.”

KRCL officials told The Hindu

that the corporation did the best possible thing at that time as no loco was immediately available in the section. Patrons refuted this claim saying the Southern Railway had plenty of electric locos at Mangaluru that was hardly three hours away.

Courtesy: The Hindu