Railway Ministry Transfers Mangaluru Region to South Western Railway's Mysuru Division

The Railway Ministry has ordered the transfer of the Mangaluru Railway Region from Southern Railway's Palakkad Division to South Western Railway's Mysuru Division, fulfilling a long-standing demand raised since the formation of the SWR in 2003.

According to Railway Board Executive Director (Efficiency and Research) Dinesh Kumar Vashishtha, the competent authority approved the transfer of the Mangaluru area up to Ullal (inclusive) to the Mysuru Division with effect from October 1. The Mangaluru region covers Mangaluru Central, Mangaluru Junction, Panambur (New Mangalore Port), and Ullal railway stations.

With this restructuring, the interchange point between South Western Railway and Southern Railway will shift from Padil to Ullal. Thokur station will continue under the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) and act as the interchange point between KRCL and SWR. Detailed divisional boundaries will be specified in an upcoming gazette notification.

Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Capt. Brijesh Chowta welcomed the decision, noting that bringing the Mangaluru region under SWR was a priority issue he had pursued with Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw since taking office in June 2024. Capt. Chowta stated that the move would help resolve rail-related issues and advance regional development, adding that he will also push for the merger of KRCL with Indian Railways, line doubling on the KRCL network, ghat stretch upgrades, and the doubling of the Mangaluru-Bengaluru line.

Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna, who visited Mangaluru in July 2024 and met with heads of the three railway divisions, stated that he had fulfilled his commitment to address the jurisdictional issue, expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Vaishnaw.

G. Hanumantha Kamath, president of the Pashchima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivrudhi Samithi, also welcomed the transfer. He noted that local residents previously had to travel more than 350 kilometres to Palakkad for railway-related matters, and that integrating the network into SWR will streamline regional administration and rail operations.