Mangaluru-Bengaluru overnight express trains too to get LHB coaches in May

Mangaluru-Bengaluru overnight express trains to be upgraded with LHB coaches in May for improved services.

Close on the heels of Mangaluru-Mumbai express trains being upgraded with Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches, the Mangaluru-Bengaluru overnight express trains too will be upgraded with LHB coaches in May.

Mangaluru-Bengaluru overnight services are being offered by KSR Bengaluru-Kannur-KSR Bengaluru Express and SMVT Bengaluru-Murdeshwar-SMVT Bengaluru Express via Mangaluru Central. The South Western Railway has made rake sharing arrangement (RSA) between rakes of these services for their optimum utilisation.

A release from Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division here on Monday said Train No. 16585 SMVT Bengaluru-Murdeshwar Express would run with LHB coaches from May 5 while Train No. 16586 Murdeshwar-SMVT Bengaluru Express would run with LHB coaches from May 6. Train No. 16511 KSR Bengaluru-Kannur Express gets LHB coaches from May 7 while Train No. 16512 Kannur-KSR Bengaluru gets them from May 8.

Upon conversion to LHB coaches, the composition of these train sets too gets changed. They would have one first class AC, two 2-tier AC, four 3-Tier AC, seven second class sleeper, four general second class and two generator car coaches, in all 20 coaches. At present, the services run with 22 coach rake composition comprising one first class AC, two 2-tier AC, three 3-tier AC, 10 second class sleeper, four general second class and two luggage-cum-brake van coaches, in all 22 ICF coaches.

Train No. 12134 Mangaluru Junction-Mumbai CSMT Superfast Express will continue to be short terminated at Thane till March 21. A release from Konkan Railway Corporation here said the short-termination was to facilitate extension of Platforms 12 and 13 at the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station.