Third VB train for NK welcomed in Hubballi

Time of India

9 hours ago

Hubballi: The third Vande Bharat Express train was welcomed with much fanfare at Hubballi station on Sunday evening. Many schoolchildren, train enthusiasts, and BJP workers, led by Union minister Pralhad Joshi, offered a grand welcome to the train.
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Currently, the Dharwad-Bengaluru-Dharwad and Hubballi-Pune-Hubballi Vande Bharat trains are running through Hubballi station. For the section of Hubballi-Bengaluru, this is the second Vande Bharat train, and will go through districts like Haveri, Davanagere, Tumakuru.
Addressing the occasion, Joshi said that Vande Bharat trains are a symbol of the country's development and these trains offer long journeys in the shortest time.
"The Vande Bharat train, including its coaches and engine, is domestically manufactured. The production of these trains began in 2018, and their number has now surpassed 150, with 11 trains operating in Karnataka. Previously, train coaches and engines were imported from abroad," he noted.
"Over the past 11 years, there have been revolutionary changes in the railway sector, with significant expansion of infrastructure.
Currently, 30km of tracks are being laid daily. Until 2014, only about 45% of railway routes were electrified, but in the last 11 years, an additional 55% has been completed. In the state, 99% of routes have been electrified. There have been significant changes in the speed of goods train operations.
Presently, the cost of freight transport in the country is around 12%, and by enhancing infrastructure such as loading, unloading, and building goods corridors, the cost is being reduced to 8%," he asserted.
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If the wildlife division grants permission for the Hubballi-Ankola railway project, it will open a gateway for development in the region. Approval has already been received for the detailed plan. Private entities have come forward to develop two ports along the coast as part of this project. Significant efforts are ongoing to initiate this project. "Land acquisition processes are hindering railway infrastructure and route planning.
If these processes are expedited, significant changes can occur in the railway sector. Resolving land acquisition between Davanagere and Chitradurga and constructing the route would allow travel between Hubballi and Bengaluru in four-and-a-half hours," he mentioned.
Sources in SWR said that the train inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bengaluru was given a grand welcome at many stations. "Responding to requests by the public at large, we stopped it at even halt stations like Heggere Halt near Tumakuru. Though it was not scheduled, it was stopped in Arsikere too. People offered puja and raised slogans in favour of the Railways and the PM," they added.