Mysuru will be reconnected to coastal Karnataka by train after a gap of three years

After a three-year hiatus, Mysuru will once again be connected to coastal Karnataka by train. The expansion of the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru (SMVT)-Mangaluru Central Express via Mysuru to Murdeshwar in the Uttara Kannada district has been sanctioned by the Railway Ministry. The Ministry also gave the go-ahead to operate the train seven days a week as opposed to six. The train's owner, South Western Railway, is anticipated to publish an official notification about the adjustments' adoption.

The time between SMVT and Mangaluru Central railway station is likely to be slightly altered as the train continues on its current path.

In order to arrive in Mangaluru Central by 8.55 a.m. (formerly 9.05 a.m.), Train No. 16585 will depart SMVTB at 8.15 p.m. and Mysuru at 11.40 p.m. in 9.20 a.m., it departs from Mangaluru Central and arrives in Murdeshwar at 1.20 p.m. 

At 1.55 p.m., Train No. 16586 will depart from Murdeshwar and arrive at Mangaluru Central at 6.15 p.m. It will depart from Mangaluru Central at the regular time of 6.35 p.m., go via Mysuru at 3.15 a.m., and arrive at SMVT at 7.15 a.m.

The Railway Ministry instructed SWR to apply the adjustments as soon as it was practical in a directive dated September 5.

For a very long time, the railway passenger organisations in the districts of Mysuru, Udupi, Kundapura, Byndoor, and Uttara Kannada have been calling for the expansion of the Bengaluru-Mangaluru Central through Mysuru service to Murdeshwar. 

After the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) terminated the Bengaluru-Kannur/Karwar combination tri-weekly express through Mysuru on March 20, 2020, coastal Karnataka has no longer been connected by rail to the Mysuru region. The cancellation of the service made way for the launch of service No. 16595/596, an overnight express running from Bengaluru to Karwar without stopping in Mangaluru.

After regularising a tri-weekly special train that had been operating on the route since 2021, Train No. 16585/586 started running six days a week in September 2022. These unique and ongoing services were made possible in part by the efforts of members of parliament from Mysuru and Dakshina Kannada, Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pratap Simha.