Mangaluru: The Pashchima Karavali Railway Yatri Sangha on Sunday urged the Railways to withdraw the order cancelling Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Bengaluru four days a week Special Train (0615/16), as the service was getting popular amid the Covid-19 scare.

“Sale of tickets for the service that was introduced just 25 days ago should not be the sole basis for cancelling the service,” explained Sangha President G Hanumanth Kamath.

In a press release, Kamath said that the cancelled Bengaluru-Mangaluru Special and Bengaluru-Karwar-Bengaluru Special (06585/86), which is under the threat of being cancelled, were serving the travel needs of the entire coastal Karnataka.

At a time when travelling had come to a standstill during Covid-19, services of these two trains were required for those in dire need of travel, said Kamath.

The services were gaining popularity from September 4 and the cancellation of Mangaluru service was uncalled for. Kamath observed that second class coaches were not necessary as there were no counter-sales of tickets, as were air-conditioned coaches as people did not prefer to travel in them following the Covid-19 scare.

With over 200 advance reservations every day, there was every chance of the services getting popular in coming days. People stop online booking once availability position reaches RAC, Kamath said and added that general quota should be increased to facilitate more booking.

At a time when the economy was yet to recover from Covid-19 blues, train travel offered affordable mode of commuting for people. If trains are stopped, people will be put to greater hardship, he said.

The special trains were necessary for the revival of the coastal economy. “Ironically, almost all special trains across the country are running with less occupancy,” he said.