All women crew operates Yeshwanthpur train to Goa

Bengaluru: Operated by an all women crew on the eve of International Women’s day, the inaugural run of the Yeshwanthpur-Karwar-Vasco-Da-Gama express train service connecting this IT city and Goa was flagged off by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday.

The train was operated by Loco Pilot Bala Shivaparvathi, Assistant Loco Pilot Abhirami V S, and guard Richa Mani Tripathi, the South Western Railway said in a release.

Suresh Angadi, Minister of State for Railways, Shobha Karandlaje, MP, Ajay Kumar Singh, General Manager, South Western Railway and Ashok Kumar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru Division, among others, were present at the event.

The Chief Minister also flagged off Train No.06541/06542 Yeshwanthpur-Vijayapura-Yeshwanthpur Tatkal Special Express with modern LHB (Linke-Hofmann-Busch) coaches, the South Western Railway said.

The train was hitherto running with conventional coaches.

Yediyurappa noted that the train was a long-pending demand of the people of coastal Karnataka and their dream has come true.

He said considering the fact that there is a need in Karnataka for more trains and railway lines, the state government has come forward to share 50 per cent of the cost of railway projects in the state.

“Centre will invest Rs 50 lakh crore on various railway projects including suburban Rail to Bengaluru and new terminal at Baiyyappanahalli,” Minister of State for Railways Angadi was quoted as saying in the release.