Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada district committee of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has urged the Union Railway Ministry to introduce additional train services connecting Mangaluru with Bengaluru and major cities in North Karnataka.

The demand comes amid the Railway Board’s decision to bring the Mangaluru railway area under the administrative jurisdiction of the Mysuru division of South Western Railway.

In a statement, DYFI Dakshina Kannada president B K Imtiyaz said the administrative change alone would not address the region’s railway connectivity requirements. He called for Mangaluru to be developed as a major railway hub connecting different parts of Karnataka.

Imtiyaz said lakhs of migrant workers, students and others travel to Dakshina Kannada and neighbouring districts in search of employment and education. Many migrant workers are employed in the construction, industrial, hospitality and domestic service sectors, he said.

The DYFI said inadequate train services to major cities in Karnataka have forced passengers to rely on comparatively expensive bus services. It also claimed that Mangaluru has fewer train connections to Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka compared to the services available to destinations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The organisation urged MPs and MLAs from Karnataka to take up the issue with the Centre and the Railway Ministry and seek direct and additional train services from Mangaluru to Bengaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Raichur and Ballari.

It also called for increased frequency of existing trains, additional coaches and affordable fares for ordinary passengers.

The DYFI further sought the expansion of platforms at Mangaluru Central railway station and the modernisation of railway stations in the region with improved passenger amenities.