Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta has said the completion of Railway Electrification (RE) along the 55 km Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat stretch of Hassan-Mangaluru line enables cleaner, faster and more reliable train operations between the coast and the rest of Karnataka.
In a statement here on Wednesday (December 31, 2025), Capt. Chowta said the development marks significant progress on a long-pending railway infrastructure demand of the region. The RE, he said, improves line capacity and strengthens the foundation for introducing modern high-capacity services, including the Vande Bharat trains, which he had been consistently pursuing for the region.
The MP said strengthening rail connectivity between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, particularly across the Ghat section, had been a consistent focus of his parliamentary and ministerial engagement since assuming office. Soon after becoming an MP, he submitted a detailed representation to visiting Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna on July 10, 2024, seeking several railway-related works. They included the doubling and electrification of the Padil–Subrahmanya Road–Sakleshpur section, critical for improving passenger convenience, freight movement and regional connectivity.
He followed up the matter formally on the floor of the Lok Sabha on December 11 and 18, 2024, by raising questions on the issue. He raised the issue again in February-March 2025. This was followed by a detailed representation to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in August 2025, which interalia highlighted the strategic importance of the Mangaluru–Bengaluru corridor and the need to expedite pending infrastructure works.
At the local level, Capt. Chowta maintained sustained follow-up through DISHA meetings and coordination with railway officials, pressing for regular Divisional Railway Manager-level reviews to monitor progress of railway projects in Dakshina Kannada, with particular focus on expediting electrification and other pending upgrades on the Mangaluru–Bengaluru line passing through the Shiradi Ghat stretch.
The MP expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Railways as well as to the officials and personnel of Indian Railways for undertaking and completing the electrification work across one of the most challenging ghat terrains in the railway network.
