Great news for Karnataka! Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways is all set to upgrade and give some trains in Southern India a new look. Six express trains, as well as superfast trains in Karnataka, will soon get a makeover. Not only that, the selected express trains and superfast trains will also be provided with premium facilities for passengers to enjoy their journey. According to a TOI report, the decision has been taken by the national transporter under its Project Utkrisht. The Project Utkrisht of Indian Railways plans to upgrade several train coaches.
Under the project, Indian Railways selected three trains from South Western Railway (SWR) zone for a makeover. The three selected trains are 16591/16592 Hampi Express train, which travels between Hubballi and Bengaluru, 16589/16590 Rani Chennamma Express train, which travels between Bengaluru and Hubballi and 16235/16236 Mysuru-Tuticorin Express train. Under the project, the Indian Railways also selected 12552/12551 Kamakhya-Yeshwantpur AC Express train, which is maintained by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone, 16315/16316 Bengaluru-Kochuveli Express train, which is maintained by the Southern Railway zone and 12245/12246 Yeshwantpur-Howrah Duronto Express train, which is operated by the South Eastern Railway zone.
According to the chief public relations officer of SWR quoted in the report, E Vijaya, the railways is working on the estimated cost of the project. The officer said that by March next year, the selected trains by Indian Railways will be upgraded with modern facilities. Interestingly, the selected trains under Indian Railways’ Project Utkrisht will be provided with refurbished coaches, some SWR officials claimed.
An official was quoted saying that the selected trains under Project Utkrisht will also be provided with PVC flooring, quality curtains in AC coaches, fire extinguishers in reserved coaches, replacement of torn seats, LED lightings, new destination display boards and modern facilities in toilets as per the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) norms, the report stated.