The extension of four of the six platforms at the city railway station to facilitate berthing of 24-coach trains is expected to provide relief to long-distance passengers boarding from Mysore.Introduction of 24 coach rakes would mean augmenting accommodation availability in trains so as to reduce the waiting list as each additional coach will provide berth to 72 passengers and thus reduce the waiting list considerably.The extension of platforms 1, 2, 4 and 6 at the city station was completed in April though none of the trains originating from the city have a 24-coach rake composition at present.However, all trains departing from Mysore are booked weeks in advance and hence there is a clamour to increase the accommodation availability by attaching additional coaches for the existing long-distance trains. Most trains departing from Mysore at present have a rake composition of either 16 or 18 coaches except the Tipu Express which has...
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21 coaches. Now that the platforms have been extended, augmenting the rakes is a possibility to augment passenger accommodation.However, sources told The Hindu that not all trains departing from Mysore can have a 24-coach composition due to technical issues. “Trains originating from Mysore and destined towards Bangalore and Hassan-Arsikere cater to a large number of small towns enroute and none of the minor stations have platforms long enough to accommodate a 24-coach rake. If trains stop at such stations, a portion of the rake would protrude beyond the platform and jeopardise the safety of passengers disembarking or trying to board the trains,” the sources added.“In the event 24-coach rake trains are introduced, they must be made non-stop services.The popular Mysore-Dharwad Express too will have to be made a limited stop service with halts at Harihar, Davanagere, Haveri and Rannebennur where the platforms were extended some time ago,” sources said.On the high-density Mysore-Bangalore route, halts can be provided only at Mandya and Ramanagaram with a technical halt at Maddur while eliminating stops at other intermediate halts as at Pandavapura and Shettihalli.The Chennai-bound Kaveri Express is an 18 coach rake departing from Mysore but five additional coaches are attached at Bangalore. But this practice may be discontinued in due course and the train is likely to run with 23 coaches from Mysore in future. “Hence the halt at Srirangapatana has been withdrawn with effect from July 1 this year as the platform is not long enough to accommodate a 23-coach rake while the station itself is flanked by two bridges,” sources added.Hence only some of the long-distance trains originating from Mysore could be upgraded in future to have up to a maximum of 24 coaches while the rakes of other trains will be restricted to 16 to 18 coaches, said sources.But given the increase in the number of passengers patronising the railways and the growth in the passenger traffic, long distance trains originating from Mysore could have more coaches to reduce the waiting list.