Gadag, Bijapur BG line opens

The much-awaited Gadag-Bagalkot passenger train chugged off from the Gadag railway station during the weekend. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and minister of state for railways R Velu jointly flagged-off the decorated train.

It was a dream come true for the people of Gadag, Bagalkot and other district who had time and again demanded the services through numerous protests and demonstrations.

The meter gauge line to Hotgi (Solapur) was built in 1894. Train services between Bagalkot and Gadag, the two backward northern towns, was suspended some time ago for gauge conversion works. The gauge conversion works between Hotgi and Gadag, a stretch of 284 km was sanctioned in 1995 when Jaffer Sharif was the railway minister.

 

It took almost 13 years for completing the works in phases, with the last phase being Bagalkot to Gadag, a stretch of 94 km. Initially, the estimated project cost was Rs 183.89 crore but it escalated to Rs 373.81 crore. South Western railway manager Praveen Kumar said the delay was mostly due to the extended monsoons the area witnessed.

The trains which pass on the 520 metre bridge across the picturesque Malaprabha river will connect a list of tourist destinations like Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, Bijapur, Kudalasangama (converging point of Krishna and Malaprabha rivers), Almatti dam among others.

The Gadag-Bagalkot section will also serve as an alterative to Solapur connecting Pune-Wadie main line besides accelerating the development of the area passing through. Praveen Kumar said they have been receiving enquiries from limestone transporters to steel plants.