Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has written a letter to the General Manager of South Western Railway (SWR), urging the development of railway stations between Padil and Subrahmanya Road in Dakshina Kannada district. Kateel noted that the Farangipet and Kalladka Railway Stations, which were made non-operational during the gauge conversion of the Mangaluru-Hassan section in 1996, were not restored after the conversion. He suggested that if these stations were revived, they could serve larger sections of commuters as they are located adjacent to the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway 75.
Kateel also pointed out that several operational stations, including Bantwal, Neralakatte, Kabakaputtur, Kaniyur, and Yedamangala, lacked basic amenities such as platform shelters, foot over bridges, and drinking water facilities. Bantwal and Kabakaputtur serve as taluk headquarters and have considerable footfall, but still lack basic amenities. The remaining stations serve rural populations and are in dire need of passenger amenities.
Kateel emphasized that even after 45 years of laying the railway line on this section, the en-route stations were not properly developed, and the region could have witnessed commuter train culture if they were fully developed.
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