Karnataka's Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil convened a crucial review meeting with South Western Railway officials to assess the progress of several railway projects being undertaken with cost-sharing from the central government. The meeting addressed various challenges, including land acquisition issues impacting key projects such as Gadag-Wadi, Dharwad-Belagavi, Tumkuru-Davanagere, and Tumkuru-Rayadurga. The aim was to identify and implement actions to accelerate these projects. According to a statement from the minister's office, Patil engaged with several officials by phone, including Ministers Priyank Kharge, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Santosh Lad, and the Deputy Commissioners of Davanagere and Haveri districts, as well as senior representatives from Krishna Jala Bhagya Nigam. He urged them to address project-specific issues within their districts and announced plans to meet soon with Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna. The review also covered the 242 km double track between Gadag-Hotgi, the 45 km double track between Bagalkote and Kudachi, challenges related to small bridges in the Almatti backwater region, delays in initiating the Vande Bharat train to Vijayapura, and infrastructure issues at Hubballi South Railway Station. Patil highlighted that resolving these issues could potentially reduce travel time from Bengaluru to Vijayapura to approximately 10 hours. Currently, trains from Bengaluru to North Karnataka divert via Gadag, bypassing Gadag Main Station before continuing towards Vijayapura and Solapur. Improving Hubballi Station to facilitate direct routes and avoid engine changes could further streamline travel between Bengaluru and Vijayapura. The review also focused on the Gadag-Wadi, Bagalkote-Kudachi, Tumkuru-Davanagere, and Tumkuru-Rayadurga projects. (ET)