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New Delhi : Railways and Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs, Coal & Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi dedicated Railway Museum at Hubballi, Karnataka, to nation through video conferencing on August 9, 2020. The event was presided over by Minister of State of Railways Suresh C Angadi and was attended by other dignitaries and senior officials.
This Rail Museum is first of its kind in North Karnataka and second in South Western Railway after historic Mysuru Rail Museum at Mysuru. It is centrally located next to second entry of Hubballi Railway Station on Gadag Road opposite the Central Railway Hospital. This museum is set to enthrall the visitors with its beautiful surroundings. The visitors from all over the country and abroad can have a treat of Railway Heritage items at Railway Museum at Hubballi.
Speaking on the occasion, Piyush Goyal said, “Railways has an emotional connect with all of us. Railways has played an important role in our lives and has been witness to our personal journeys of life in different phases.” He referred to Mahatma Gandhi and said that Gandhi Ji also preferred to understand India through trains.
“Railways have itself gone through great transformations. Story of evolution of Railways from steam era to modern bullet trains era is truly remarkable. Museum is monument of tribute to that extraordinary change. Moving into a post Covid era would also see many changes. The museum will help in sensitising society about shared history and culture. It will tells us about our roots and our foundations. We must preserve memories and legacy . We are now making Railways fully electrified and 100 % green . It will be world class passenger and freight services organisation,” Goyal said, according to a PIB release.
He congratulated all the Railway officials for extraordinary work during the lockdown. He also mentioned that Railways has pledged to contribute to 5 trillion economy and Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
Speaking on the occasion, Pralhad Joshi said, “This Museum is most relevant as Hubballi is an important Railway junction historically as well. This will become another prominent tourist destination in the region.” He thanked Goyal for the new Museum. He also thanked Railways for running 229 special shramik trains from Region. He also thanked Indian Railways for undertaking renovation Hubballi Railway Station.
The museum aims at preserving and portraying the glorious heritage of various branches of Railways and displays the gradual evolution of advanced systems in all spheres of Railway working. At Hubballi Museum, the artefacts are broadly arranged in three sections i.e., the two cottages named Malaprabha and Ghataprabha and the outdoor section.
In view of the precautions to be taken in wake of COVID pandemic, entry for visitors to the museum is restricted to only 30 members at a time. Visitors will be requested to sanitise their hands frequently using Sanitiser dispensers provided, compulsorily wear face mask, and maintain social distancing when visiting the Museum.