In a historic moment for Karnataka, the Railway Ministry on Friday ordered the transfer of the Mangaluru Railway Region to South Western Railway’s (SWR) Mysuru Division from Southern Railway’s (SR) Palakkad Division. Thus, the demand for the Mangaluru region’s inclusion in SWR ever since SWR’s formation in 2003 has been met.

Railway Board Executive Director (Efficiency and Research) Dinesh Kumar Vashishtha said the competent authority had decided to transfer the Mangaluru area up to Ullal (inclusive) from the Palakkad Division to the Mysuru Division with effect from October 1.

The interchange point between SWR and SR will shift from Padil to Ullal, while Thokur station will remain a part of the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) and serve as the interchange point between KRCL and SWR. The exact divisional boundaries between SR and SWR will be mentioned in a gazette notification.

The Mangaluru area includes the Mangaluru Central, Mangaluru Junction, Panambur (New Mangalore Port), and Ullal railway stations.

‘Relentless pursuit’

Expressing happiness over the development, Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Capt. Brijesh Chowta said the long-pending demand had been fulfilled as the Mangaluru Railway Region, currently divided among SR, SWR, and KRCL, had been brought under SWR.

Capt. Chowta said the decision gave him a great sense of contentment because it was a priority demand he had raised within days of taking oath as an MP in June 2024. “Since then, we have pursued it relentlessly — taking it up repeatedly with Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, whose proactive engagement and responsiveness in taking forward this long-pending demand I deeply appreciate.”

“With the formal notification expected soon, we will be better placed to address many of our railway-related concerns and, most importantly, enable Mangaluru’s rail network to move faster on the tracks of development.”

He further said he would press for the merger of KRCL with Indian Railways and the doubling of its network. Upgrading the rail line on the ghat stretch and the doubling of the Mangaluru-Bengaluru line would also be his priorities.

Capt. Chowta thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Vaishnaw, and Minister of State for Railways (MoS Railways) V. Somanna.

‘Kept my promise’

Mr. Somanna, whose first visit as MoS Railways was to Mangaluru in July 2024, had promised to address the long-pending demand. “I have kept my promise to you. What more can be done,” he told The Hindu. “I brought the heads of the three railway divisions together in Mangaluru and attempted to address the issue.”

The Minister said he was grateful to Mr. Modi and Mr. Vaishnaw for addressing the region’s demand.

‘Welcome move’

G. Hanumantha Kamath, president of the Pashchima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivrudhi Samithi, which had been pursuing the inclusion demand, expressed happiness over the Ministry’s decision. For every issue, people of the region had to travel to Palakkad, a distance of over 350 km, he said, adding that bringing Mangaluru under SWR would streamline administration and operations.

Published - August 21, 2026 08:06 pm IST