Mysuru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the electrification of the railway line between Mysuru and Bengaluru, at Mysuru city railway station on Monday.
The electrification of the line, covering 138 km between Bengaluru and Mysuru, was taken up at a cost of Rs 220 crores on a 50:50 cost sharing basis by the Central and state governments. Railway sources said the electrification will help in flawless connectivity between Mysuru and other parts of the country. It will reduce line haul cost leading to an annual saving of Rs 20 crore, reduce dependence on Rs 1.2 crore litres of imported petroleum annually, and reduce Carbon Dioxide emission in the region by 5 million tonnes per annum. It will also save 20 percent energy because of the regenerative braking facility in electric locos, reduce travel time, increase number of trains, help in haulage of heavier freight trains and longer passenger trains at higher speeds.
PM Modi also flagged off the ‘Palace Queen’-Humsafar Express connecting Mysuru and Udaipur in Rajasthan. The train will depart at 10 am every Thursday and reach Udaipur at 4.55 am on the third day.
Speaking at the BJP rally on the electrification of railway line and Humsfar Express, Prime Minister Modi said “It is important to be technologically up-to-date and in that respect, electrification is a major infrastructure project. If we have to help the poorest of the poor, railways must be strengthened. For example Humsafar Express connects Mysuru to Udaipur in Rajasthan, and three other states including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Mysuru being a major tourism destination, it will create job opportunities and benefit everyone including auto drivers and guest house owners.”
The PM announced a world class modern multi-storied railway station and a satellite terminal at Naganahalli (8.55 km from Mysuru on the Mysuru -Bengaluru broad gauge section) to be taken up at a cost of Rs 800 crores. “As many as 76 trains originate from Mysuru railway station, it is saturated and new trains can be added with the setting up of new terminal,” Mr Modi said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Governor Vajubhai Vala, Union ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Ananth Kumar, Mysuru Kodagu MP Pratap Simha and others were present.
