Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary has urged the Railway Minister to replace the old ICF rakes of Mangaluru Central-Mumbai LTT Matsyagandha Express with LHB coaches. | Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
Kota Srinivas Poojary, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP, has urged the Railway Ministry to immediately replace the old ICF coaches of Mangaluru Central-Mumbai LTT-Mangaluru Central Matsyagandha Express with the new LHB coaches.
In a recent letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mr. Poojary said Train No. 12620/619 continues to be operated with rusty ICF coaches that are about 25 years old. His constituents and patrons have been demanding new coaches for a long time, the MP noted.
Mr. Poojary noted that Matsyagandha Express is very close to people of the coast as it was the first passenger train launched during the commissioning of the Konkan Railway Corporation network by then Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. The service continues to be a matter of pride for the people along the west coast of India. While patrons celebrated its silver jubilee last year, the ongoing dissatisfaction with the ageing ICF coaches persists, he said.
Despite repeated requests and social media posts, Southern Railway is yet to replace the old coaches with LHB coaches, Mr. Poojary regretted. The standard response from Southern Railway about phased replacement has failed to address the dissatisfaction of patrons.
The MP urged the Minister to immediately direct Southern Railway to change the coaches to LHB to ensure passenger safety, comfort and satisfaction on this route.
