BENGALURU: The first intra-state train service between Bengaluru and Belagavi commenced on Friday in line with the easing of lockdown restrictions in Karnataka.
The train will ferry at least 350 passengers from Bengaluru to a district that borders Maharashtra - the state worst hit by covid-19.
The tri-weekly train service is among the public transport facilities that the B.S.Yediyurappa-led government has allowed within the state after nearly two months of the pandemic-induced lockdown.
The easing of curbs, however, has been accompanied by a sharp rise in covid-19 cases in Karnataka. A total of 563 cases have been reported in the past five days, taking the state's tally to 1,080.