Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, Shri V. Somanna today flagged off Vande Bharat Express with its newly introduced stoppage at Tumkur Railway Station.

The newly added stoppage is part of Train No. 20662 Dharwad - KSR Bengaluru and its return service, Train No. 20661 KSR Bengaluru - Dharwad. This fulfils a long pending demand of the people of Tumkur. The train no. 20661 will stop at Tumkur station in the morning as per the timings detailed below w.e.f. 24.8.24.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri V. Somanna said that under the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi, in the last 10 years railways has undergone a comprehensive transformation. He said that PM has termed the ‘railways as the growth engine of the nation’. Under the PM’s leadership, the Minister mentioned that the average outlay for Karnataka for railway projects had increased about 9 times (from Rs. 800 crore during 2009-14 to about Rs. 7500 crore at present).

The Minister said that to enhance safety for road and rail users five ROBs in Tumkur city at an estimated cost of Rs. 350 crore were sanctioned in July 2024. He stated that measures are being taken to enhance connectivity to Tumkur – which is emerging as a fast growing industrial hub of south India: the blue-print is being firmed up to upgrade Tumkur Railway station into a world class terminal at an approximate cost of Rs. 100 crore.

Shri V Somanna travelled on the same train from Tumkur to Yesvantpur along with other dignitaries and railway officials.

Two new railway line projects i.e. Tumkur – Davangere (via Chitradurga) and Tumkur –Rayadurga projects are underway at a cost of Rs. 2140 crore and Rs. 2500 crore respectively. Shri Somanna elaborated that these two projects are vital for improving connectivity of Tumkur to other regions of Karnataka and are being monitored closely for early completion. The Tumkur – Davangere new line will provide direct connectivity between the two cities and reduce the rail travel distance by 65 kms; Tumkur – Rayadurga new line, once completed will shorten the distance between Tumkur – Bellari by about 130 km thereby boosting railway connectivity to Kalyana Karnataka region. He urged the Government of Karnataka to facilitate quick land acquisition for these two projects.

The Minister announced that very soon a MEMU Daily train service will be introduced between Tumkur and Bengaluru – which would help thousands of students, daily office going people, factory employees etc. – which has been a long pending demand of the public of Tumkur and Bengaluru.

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PPG/SK