There is some good news for the devotees of Sabarimala Shri Swamy Ayyappa. Vijayapura and Hubballi have got a convenient train to Kottayam (the nearest railway station to Sabarimala).
Kottayam is the nearest railway station to the Sabarimala temple. Railway board has approved the running of Train Number 07385/07386 Vijayapura Kottayam Vijayapura weekly express special.
Every year lakhs of devotees visit the Sabarimala temple. The visitor count increases manyfold during December and January. It is one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the world.
Union Minister and Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi had requested Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to announce a train to Sabarimala from North Karnataka, to which the Railway Minister had responded positively.
South Western Railway (SWR) has decided to run the train on TOD (Train on Demand) basis from 21st November 2022. The schedule and stoppages of the train are as follows.
Train number 07385 Vijayapura Kottayam train leaves Vijayapura at 11:00 PM on Monday and reaches Kottayam at 2:00 AM on Wednesday.
The train arrives at SSS Hubballi Junction Railway Station at 5:00 AM (on Tuesday) and departs towards Kottayam at 5:10 AM. The stoppages of the train are as follows.
En route, the train stops at Basavana Bagewadi Road, Almatti, Bagalkot, Badami, Holealur, Gadag, Hubballi, Ranebennur, Harihar, Davanagere, Birur, Arsikere, Tumkur, Yelahanka.
Krishnarajapuram, Bangarpet, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and reaches Kottayam at 5:10 AM on Wednesday.
In the return direction, Train Number 07386 Kottayam Vijayapura weekly express train leaves Kottayam at 3:30 PM on Wednesday and reaches SSS Hubballi Junction at 2:50 PM on Thursday.
The train leaves SSS Hubballi Junction at 3:00 PM and reaches Vijayapura at 8:30 PM. The train will run with ICF coaches. The composition of the train is as follows.
The train will compose of 15 coaches including 10 Sleeper coaches, 2 AC 3-tier coaches, 1 AC 2-tier coaches, and 2 Seating cum Luggage rake for Divyangjan (SLR/D).
The inaugural run of the train is scheduled on 21st November, 2022. Including the inaugural run, the train will do 11 trips (weekly) as mentioned below.
Train number 07385 Vijayapura Kottayam weekly express train via Hubballi will run on the 21st and 28th November; 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th December; 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th January 2023.
Train number 07386 Kottayam Vijayapura weekly express train via Hubballi will run on 23rd and 30th November; 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th December; 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th January and on 1st February 2023.
The occupation wont be even 30% except for one or two peak days.
Railway could have extended the existing Hubballi – Kochuveli Express which runs via the same route. The occupancy this train also is not much encouraging especially between Hubballi and Bengaluru. Railway may reconsider the decision to avoid running empty trains.