About eight acres of Railway land at the old goods shed in Bunder (Neereshwalya) in the City is being converted into a ballast yard to store ballast required for tracks by Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division.

The Railways has been dismantling old godowns in the erstwhile goods shed and levelling the land to facilitate ballast storage.

Following continuous resentment among the general public about the frequent movement of freight trains into Bunder area and the resultant movement of trucks transporting goods, including cement etc., in the heart of the City, the Southern Railway shifted the goods shed from Bunder to Ullal Railway Station in Someshwara in November 2023.

The vacant goods shed yard then was being used by the Railways to stable coaching (passenger) trains for want of stabling lines at Mangaluru Central Railway Station. This again caused frequent movement of trains to the old goods shed resulting in closure of Pandeshwar and Hoige Bazar Level Crossing gates as many times.

Civil society organisations, general public and elected representatives opposed the yard being used for stabling trains on the ground that frequent closure of Pandeshwar LC Gate, located on the busy Mangaladevi Road connecting southern Mangaluru with the central business district, was affecting normal life. The Railways then had to come out with a timetable for closure of the two LC Gates to mitigate the sufferings of road users.

A proposal to handover the Bunder Railway land to Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) in lieu of an alternative land was still pending with the district administration.

Tracks being modified

A senior engineer with the Railways told The Hindu that the tracks in the old goods shed were being modified to align with the movement of ballast hoppers and loading and unloading of ballast in the yard. The yard would also be secured with the construction of a compound wall to prevent unauthorised entry of people, he said.

Concerns continue

Amba Maheshwari Seva Trust, Jeppu, was sceptical about the fresh move of the Railways. Its Secretary Umanath Kotekar said the Railways, the MCC and the district administration should chalk out a comprehensive plan to alleviate the sufferings of people. If the land was to be used for Railway works, adequate alternative arrangements should be made for the free flow of traffic through LC Gates, he demanded.