India
oi-Prakash KL
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the decision to shift the Mangaluru railway area from Kerala’s Palakkad division to the Mysuru division of South Western Railway was taken to address operational difficulties arising from the region being handled by three different railway entities.
After chairing a meeting with MPs from Kerala, Vaishnaw said keeping Mangaluru under South Western Railway would help resolve these operational issues. The Railway Board’s order will come into effect from October 1. The move has triggered a fresh Kerala-Karnataka dispute, with Kerala opposing the transfer of the Mangaluru area out of the Palakkad division.
Effective October 1, the Mangaluru railway area transfers from Kerala’s Palakkad division to South Western Railway’s Mysuru division to address operational difficulties, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, sparking opposition from Kerala.
“The Mangaluru railway area was divided into three different zones, which was creating serious operational problems. The decision to keep Mangaluru in SWR will solve the operational problems,” Vaishnaw said.
Under the Railway Board order issued in August, the Mangaluru area up to and including Ullal will move from the Palakkad division of Southern Railway to the Mysuru division of South Western Railway. The interchange point between the two zones will consequently shift from Padil to Ullal.
Thokur station will continue to remain with Konkan Railway and will become the interchange point between Konkan Railway and South Western Railway.
The decision has become a contentious issue in Kerala, where concerns have been raised over its impact on the Palakkad division and the state’s railway interests. Vaishnaw’s comments came during discussions on railway projects, funding and infrastructure development in Kerala.
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan had earlier described the move as unilateral and said the state was not consulted before the decision was taken. Kerala leaders have also demanded that the Centre reconsider the transfer.
Reports have highlighted the importance of the Mangaluru area to the Palakkad division’s freight earnings, making the transfer particularly significant for Kerala.
The Railway Board order fixes the new divisional boundary at kilometre 872.900 on the Shoranur Junction-Mangaluru Central section. The change will bring key locations, including Mangaluru Central, Mangaluru Junction, Padil, Kulashekara, Jokatte, Netravathi and Ullal, under the Mysuru division.
Amid the controversy, Vaishnaw also discussed railway development in Kerala and said the state had received a major increase in railway allocation.
According to the minister, Kerala’s railway allocation for 2026-27 has risen to Rs 3,795 crore from Rs 372 crore in 2014, which he described as a tenfold increase. He said the higher investment was translating into infrastructure and capacity expansion across the state.
