Mangaluru, 13 November

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the new Vande Bharat service between Mangaluru and Bengaluru will begin on Saturday.

"It will connect the two major hubs in Karnataka," Vaishnaw said before inspecting the train here on Friday.

He said the challenges posed by the steep ghat section, including modifications needed for electrification and the train, have been resolved. He also announced the launch of an FM transmitter in Udupi.

On the merger of Konkan Railway with Indian Railways, Vaishnaw said that efforts are underway but require the consent of the shareholder state governments of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.

Vaishnaw said the doubling of tracks is important and has been taken up, with the final location survey and detailed project report already approved. He said the second line is being designed with a more moderate gradient in the ghats to avoid problems faced on the existing line.

Responding to Karnataka minister MB Patil’s remarks that major railway projects in the state are being excluded, Vaishnaw said the claim was “absolutely wrong”.

Only after Modi became PM did Karnataka got justice, he said, adding, "Today, projects costing almost Rs 75,000 crore are being executed in Karnataka,” he said.