By Kavita Mistry 
Dandeli has a century-old railway station, but no passenger trains arrive there. There is a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus stand, but rarely does any bus arrive from distant destinations like Bengaluru. This is the condition of public transport facilities in Dandeli — one of popular adventure tourism destinations in Karnataka.
Situated in Uttara Kannada district, Dandeli is popular for its natural beauty and adventure activities, including white water rafting and jungle safari. While tourists from across India find their way to this destination, connectivity remains a problem due to the over-reliance on private transport options.
“I planned to visit Dandeli a few weeks ago and checked the options to get there. While there were no direct trains, KSRTC had two Sarige buses, which did not have the sleeper option. For a journey that takes around 11 hours, it would be highly uncomfortable to travel in a seating-only bus. With no other choice, I booked a private bus and paid over ₹1,000 for a one-way ticket,” said Sowbarnika S. from Bengaluru.
The locals there, including resort owners and drivers, say that better connectivity can increase the number of tourists.
“Our neighbouring States make connecting tourist destinations through public transport a priority. But, despite numerous requests, our elected representatives have not been able to bring passenger trains to Dandeli even though goods trains ply regularly on this route,” said Ahmed, a cab driver in Dandeli.
The locals also mentioned that during Suresh Angadi’s tenure as the Minister of State for Indian Railways, there was some hope about passenger trains coming to Dandeli, but after him, no one took the project forward.
The officials of the South Western Railway (SWR) said that passenger trains do not go to Dandeli mainly because of logistical reasons. “Dandeli is around 70 kilometres away from Hubballi. The road is good and the route is picturesque, which is why many people prefer to go there by road. Now trains must go from Hubballi to Alnavar, which is around 60 kilometres away. If the train has to go to Dandeli, the engine has to be reversed at Alnavar, which will take a lot of time,” explained an official.
He added that there is not much demand for train services to Dandeli. Even a train with just eight coaches will have a seating capacity of up to 400. “We will definitely run trains if we see such a huge demand for seats,” he said.
However, a resort owner from Dandeli said, “How do they decide that there is no demand without running a train? Only when they introduce a service, or advertise them, will people know that it is an option, and then start taking it.”
KSRTC to provide sleeper buses soon
The number of KSRTC buses to Dandeli are not many. There is no sleeper service to Dandeli from Bengaluru, Mysuru, and other major cities. Locals credit this to the private bus lobby. In fact, many private buses are parked right next to the KSRTC bus stand in Dandeli.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the gap has been noticed by his department. “The number of tourists who are going to Dandeli has increased. We have decided to deploy more buses there. Out of the 50 non-AC sleeper buses we are on-boarding, we will deploy a few to Dandeli. It will take around two months. We also plan to renovate the old bus stand there,” the Minister said.
Published – April 18, 2025 11:47 am IST