Kerala-Karnataka Railway Row Escalates As Mangaluru Area Shifts To Mysuru Division

A Railway Board decision to shift the Mangaluru area up to and including Ullal from the Palakkad division of Southern Railway to the Mysuru division of South Western Railway has triggered a fresh dispute between Kerala and Karnataka. The order, issued on August 21, will take effect from October 1, with the interchange point between the two railway zones moving from Padil to Ullal. Thokur station will remain with Konkan Railway and become its interchange point with South Western Railway.

Kerala’s UDF MPs have announced a satyagraha in front of the Palakkad Divisional Railway Manager’s office on Wednesday, which coincides with Thiruvonam. MK Raghavan, ET Mohammed Basheer and Shafi Parambil called the transfer unjust and unacceptable, arguing that it could affect railway development and passenger interests across Malabar and Kerala. The MPs have demanded that the August 21 order be kept in abeyance until consultations are held with the Kerala government and the state’s MPs.

The MPs have estimated that the Palakkad division could lose around Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,100 crore annually in revenue generated through Mangaluru Port and surrounding railway stations. UDF MPs, including Shashi Tharoor, held an online meeting to coordinate their response and decided to seek a suspension of the decision. Tharoor described the move as having potentially serious financial and operational consequences and said Kerala had not been given an opportunity for formal consultation. A letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is also being prepared for signatures from the UDF MPs.

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Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan has also criticised the decision, arguing that excluding Mangaluru Junction would significantly reduce the earnings and development potential of the Palakkad division. The Chief Minister’s Office has indicated that letters will be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Railway Minister seeking a review. Meanwhile, Karnataka representatives have welcomed the change, arguing that bringing Mangaluru’s railway stations under a single division could improve infrastructure and administration in the coastal region.

Mangaluru MP Brijesh Chowta welcomed the Railway Board order and said the demand to bring the region under one railway division had been among his priorities since taking office in June 2024. Business leader TV Mohandas Pai also urged Karnataka’s political leadership to defend the decision. Coastal Karnataka has long sought a separate Mangaluru railway division or zone, arguing that the region’s railway network was divided between Southern Railway, South Western Railway and Konkan Railway despite significant freight and passenger activity. The latest order, however, does not create a separate Mangaluru division.

The financial implications remain at the centre of Kerala’s objections. Around 90 per cent of the Palakkad division’s freight movement is estimated to originate from the Mangaluru region, while Panambur goods yard serving New Mangalore Port handled freight valued at about Rs 625 crore in the last financial year. The division’s daily earnings have been put at around Rs 2.75 crore, while assessments cited in Kerala have projected a substantial fall in revenue after the transfer. From October 1, the Palakkad division will extend only up to Ullal, with staff given the option of remaining with Southern Railway or moving to South Western Railway. A further gazette notification is expected to specify the revised divisional and zonal boundaries.

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