Transport in Mangalore

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Mangalore's location in the Indian state of Karnataka makes it accessible by all forms of transport: road, rail, air and sea. It is the largest city in the Coastal Karnataka region, and is the only city in Karnataka and one among the six cities in India to have an International Airport, a Major Seaport, railway & road connectivities. It is one of the fastest developing cities in India.

Local public transport[]

Main article: Mangalore City Bus routes
A typical Mangalore Autorickshaw

Even though Mangalore's city bus service is dominated by private operators such as DKBOA, with routes covering the full extent of the city and beyond, in recent days Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation is plying buses in multiple routes. There are two distinct sets of routes for the buses, with the city routes being covered by city buses, and the intercity routes being covered by service and express buses. There are also KSRTC JnNurm green colour city buses from State Bank bus stand.[1] These buses travel to different parts of the city and its suburbs.[2] Service buses essentially touch some towns and villages on the intercity route. Service are run to various location like Udupi, Karkala and Kateel. However the frequency of service buses are extremely low. Express buses reach their destination with very limited stops in between. A list of bus routes inside Mangalore can be found here.

Another mode for local transportation is the autorickshaw. The minimum cost charged by an autorickshaw up to 2 km is Rs 25. Meters are introduced in all autorickshaws plying inside the city and the suburbs. But most of the rickshaw drivers does not charge according to meter. However charges are 1.5 times the displayed reading between 10 pm and 5 am.[3] Taxi services in Mangalore are provided by Ola Cabs and Uber, whose services extend to the Mangalore International Airport.[4][5] Motorcycle rental providers have also begun offering transport services in the city.[6]

Long distance bus routes[]

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs the long distance bus services from Mangalore to other parts of the state. The Mangalore-Bangalore route is the most lucrative route and is equally served by public & private players.

The longest bus route served is the Mangalore - Ankola- Hubli- Belgaum- Pune- Mumbai bus route run by a number of private players and KSRTC. The journey is about 22 hours by normal buses & 16 hours by Volvo Buses.

Many private companies based out of Mangalore, Udupi, Bangalore also ply multiple buses between Mangalore and other cities on daily basis. Ganesh Travels, SRS Travels, Ideal Travels, Sugama Tourists, Durgamba Motors, VRL, being the popular operators. These operators provide services in different categories such as A/C Volvo Bus, Sleeper, Seater etc. There will be a huge hike in number of passengers during the festive seasons such as Mangalore Dasara, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Christmas which will also result in hike in bus fares unlike the KSRTC buses.

Roads and Highways[]

MG Road - Bejai Road junction in Mangalore
Clock Tower to Nehru Maidan Road
Balmatta Road in Mangalore

Five national highways connect Mangalore with various parts of Karnataka and India.

Railways[]

Main article: Konkan Railway
Mangalore Junction railway station

Mangalore has 3 railway stations - Mangalore Central, Mangalore Junction & Surathkal railway station.

A metre gauge railway track was built through the Western Ghats in the east, connecting Mangalore with Hassan. The broad gauge track connecting Mangalore to Bangalore via Hassan is open for freight traffic since May 2006.[11] While the movement of passenger traffic was supposed to start after December 2006, the inaugural train was eventually flagged off from Mangalore Central railway station for Bangalore only on 8 December 2007 by Union Minister for Railways Laloo Prasad Yadav.[12]

When India gained independence, Mangalore was not connected to Mumbai by rail. The railway network established before independence terminated at Mangalore. Since then there had been a strong need to connect Mangalore to Mumbai and hence the Konkan Railway came into being. The project was completed in 1998 and since then the travel time to the north of the country has come down considerably and provides a convenient alternative for passengers.

Mangalore has direct trains to Chennai, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kollam(Quilon), Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Puducherry,((Thane))Nagercoil through the Southern Railway[13] and to Mumbai, Bhatkal, Karwar and Goa via the Konkan Railway.[14][15] Navyug Express train connects Mangalore with Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.[16][17] Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express connects Mangalore with the national capital New Delhi.[18]

Sea[]

Sea entrance to New Mangalore Port
M.V. Amindivi, a passenger ship of the Lakshadweep Islands administration docked at the Old Mangalore Port.

The Mangalore Harbour provides a connection by sea to the rest of the world. Currently dry, bulk and fluid cargos are handled by the New Mangalore Port, providing an important gateway to the state of Karnataka. It is also the station for the Coast Guard and has a unit of CISF. This modern artificial harbour 10 km north of the Central Business District (CBD), is now India's eight largest cargo handling port.[19]

Various cruise ships such as Regent Seven Seas, Norwegian Star, Oceania, Celebrity, Costa, AIDA, Nautica and Royal Caribbean International have visited the New Mangalore Port.[20][21] Foreigners can enter Mangalore through the New Mangalore Port with the help of Electronic visa (e-visa).[22] Cruise ships from Europe, North America and UAE arrive at New Mangalore Port to visit the tourist places around Mangalore.[23][24]

Air[]

Mangalore International Airport jet bridge

Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) is located near Bajpe, around 14 km north-east of the city. It is the second-largest and second-busiest airport in Karnataka.[25][26] New terminals and runways at the airport accommodate both cargo and passenger requirements.[27] State-government-run buses connect the city with the airport.[28] The new terminal which had commenced operations in mid-2009 is 8 km from the city. The Airport connects Mangalore with Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. The Airport also connects Mangalore with countries such as UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Airport has seen double digit growth in passenger traffic after introducing international flights. As of 2014, the airport had a growth of 21.51 per cent in passenger handling during 2013–14, with 54 per cent growth in international traffic. It has handled 1,255,000 passengers in 2013–14 against 1,032,000 in 2012–13. The airport is expected to handle 900,000 passengers in 2025.[29][30]

References[]

  1. ^ "3-yr demand materialises; city gets JnNURM depot, 35 buses". The Times of India. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Finally Nurm buses get permit in Mangaluru". Udayavani. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  3. ^ Spoorthi Ullal (28 February 2020). "Mangaluru: Auto-rickshaw fare revised - Minimum charge Rs 30". Daijiworld.
  4. ^ "Uber launches operations in Mangaluru". Daijiworld. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  5. ^ Anil Kumar Sastry (6 March 2015). "Get a cab on call, Ola launches service in Mangaluru". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  6. ^ Singh, Manisha (23 January 2020). "Indian bike rental startup Bounce raises $105M". TechCrunch.
  7. ^ "NH wise Details of NH in respect of Stretches entrusted to NHAI" (PDF). National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  8. ^ "Bangalore-Mysore highway to be upgraded to six-lane on PPP basis". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Details Of State Highways". Karnataka PWD. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  10. ^ "WIDENING & IMPROVEMENTS TO MYSORE BANTWAL ROAD (SH 88)". KRDCL. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  11. ^ "Mangalore-Hassan rail line open for freight traffic". Hindu Business Line. 6 May 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2006.
  12. ^ "Lalu flags off Mangalore-Bangalore train, at last". Deccan Herald. 8 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
  13. ^ "MAQ - Mangalore Central Station". India Rail Info. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  14. ^ "The Beginning". Konkan Railway Corporation Limited. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  15. ^ "Southern Railway to operate special trains". The Hindu. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  16. ^ "MAQ/Mangalore Central to SVDK/Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra". India Rail Info. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  17. ^ "Exclusive AC-III tier coach for CAPF personnel on Navyug Express from today". The Times of India. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  18. ^ "Rajadhani Express five days a week: Suresh Prabhu". The Hindu. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  19. ^ "New Mangalore Port". New Mangalore Port. Retrieved 13 October 2006.
  20. ^ "First cruise ship of the fiscal calls at New Mangalore Port". Business Line. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  21. ^ "Dubai Tourism commemorates inaugural visit of Celebrity Constellation". Travel Daily Media. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  22. ^ "Foreigners can enter India through five ports on e-visa". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  23. ^ "Nautica and Norwegian Star cruise through M'luru coast". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Aida Aura arrives in Mangaluru". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  25. ^ Sagar Kulkarni (8 November 2018). "Centre okays leasing out Mangalore airport". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  26. ^ A J Vinayak (25 January 2016). "Mangalore Airport records growth in passenger traffic". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  27. ^ "Mangalore airport to start domestic cargo handling from June 26". The Hindu Business Line. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  28. ^ "Intl services begin at Mangalore airport". The Hindu Business Line. 4 October 2006. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  29. ^ Special Correspondent (5 October 2012). "Cities / Mangalore : Mangalore Airport gets international tag". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  30. ^ "Passenger traffic up in Mangalore Airport". The Hindu. 2 February 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
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