Mangaluru-Madgaon Express Special to run as an unreserved passenger train from March 1

Mangaluru-Madgaon Express Special becomes unreserved, reducing fares by 40% starting March 1, 2025.

The Mangaluru Central-Madgaon-Mangaluru Central Express Special (Train No. 56616/615) will run as a completely unreserved passenger train with effect from Saturday (March 1, 2025).

Consequently, the fares too would get reduced nearly by 40%, thereby giving a reprieve to the common man. Communiques from Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., and the Southern Railway here said both the services would run as unreserved passenger services from March 1.

One second sitting reserved coach on Train No. 56616/615 would get converted as an unreserved coach thereby making all the 18 coaches as unreserved one.

The Railways, in a bid to eliminate passenger trains which offered affordable travel to the working class to the maximum extent, had cancelled all such services during the COVID-19 period. Gradually, some of them were reintroduced as Express Specials with express train fares, thereby affecting the common patron.

With growing demand to reintroduce passenger trains, the Railways initially changed the Train Numbers of such express specials from those indicating express trains (staring with 1 or 2) to passenger trains (starting with 5), including Mangaluru-Madgaon service. However, another passenger train kind-of-service, Madgaon-Mangaluru Central-Madgaon MEMU (Train No. 10107/108) continues to run as an express on passenger train pattern.

Though the trains were named ‘express specials,’ they were in fact operating as passenger trains with the only difference being that the passengers were charged express fares. While the minimum fare on an express train was ₹30, it was ₹10 on a passenger train.

With Train No. 56615/616 being made an unreserved passenger from Saturday (March 1, 2025), fares too would come down. While the fare was ₹150 from Mangaluru Central to Madgaon till February 28, it will become ₹85; Karwar will reduce from ₹125 to ₹75, Bhatkal from ₹75 to ₹45, Kundapura from ₹60 to ₹30 and the fare from Mangaluru Central to Udupi will come down from ₹45 to ₹25.