Goa

Vasco-da-Gama

South Western Railway

Bengaluru

Liquor in Goa may no longer be cheaper



EXISTING TRAINS



Bus journey to Goa is also a preferred travel option



IT City has got yet another express train to the popular holiday destination of. The overnight express train, which is expected to be operational every day, will cover the 696-km distance between Yeshwantpur andin about 16 hours. Officials are yet to announce the date of operations.The(SWR) said the new train services with a special fare will be able to clear extra rush of passengers and also meet the persistent demand of coastal Karnataka.The daily train - No. 06587/06588 -- will leave Yeshwanthpur at 6.45pm and arrive at Vasco-da-Gama at 10.30am. It will depart from Goa at 4.30pm and reachat 9am. The services are expected to benefit a large number of people because of the convenient time table. The train passes via Hasan, Padil (Mangaluru), Udupi, Kumta and Karwar.By skipping two stations in Mangalore (Central and Junction), the officials have brought down the travel time by 2-3 hours as the train moves from Padil to Surathakal and then heads to Goa.“There is one train from Bengaluru to Goa via Hubballi and Dharwad, which takes nearly 16 hours as it passes via ghat section. The proposed new train also takes around the same time but the timing is inconvenient and it covers the entire coastal Karnataka. It therefore helps the coastal belt and the view is great. Passengers will also get to see a lot of beaches during the journey,” Krishna Prasad, a rail enthusiast said.From April 1, liquor in Goa will no longer be as cheap as it is now. The Pramod Sawant-led government has proposed a hike in excise duties and fee on the sale of liquor anywhere between 20% to 50% for all categories of liquor. While the hike is expected to fetch Rs 100 crore for the government, it is likely to pinch the pockets of many tourists. The price of liquor, even after the proposed hike, may be much cheaper than Bengaluru* Velankanni-Vasco Da-Gama train (Wednesdays only; departure 11.52 am) is available from KR Puram station and travels 16.13 hours to reach the destination* Yeshwantpur Vasco da Gama express/special train plies daily (departure-2.30 pm) and takes 14 hours and 45 minutes to reach the destination* Chennai-Goa train which passes via Yeshwanthpur takes around 14 hours to reach Goa (departure from Yeshwanthpur at 9.55 pm and this is only on Fridays)* It takes anywhere between 11 to 13 hours to travel between the Bengaluru and Panjim (with stops at Madgaon). Buses usually take the route via Hubli-Ankola-Madgaon. Alternatively, the KSRTC plies only a few schedules via the Bengaluru-Dharwad-Ramanagar-Ponda-Panjim route