Transport

Air

Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) is an international airport which is located near Bajpe / Kenjar, and is located about 13 kilometres (8 mi) north-east of the Mangalore city centre. It operates regular scheduled flights to major cities in India and the Middle East. It is the second largest and second busiest airport in the state of Karnataka. The new terminals and runways at the airport accommodate both cargo and passenger requirements. State-run government buses Vajra Volvo ply between the city and the airport.

Road

Five National Highways pass through Mangalore. NH-66 (previously known as NH-17), which runs from Panvel (in Maharashtra) to Kanyakumari (in Tamil Nadu), passes through Mangalore in a north–south direction and connects with Udupi, Bhatkal, Karwar, Goa, etc. in north and Kannur, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, etc. in the south while NH-75 (previously known as NH-48) runs eastward to Bangalore and Vellore.NH-169 (previously known as NH-13) runs north-east from Mangalore to Shimoga. NH-73, a 315-km long National Highway connects Mangalore to Tumkur. NH-275 also connects Mangalore with Bangalore via Mysore. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is upgrading the national highways connecting New Mangalore Port to Surathkal on NH-66 and BC Road junction on NH-75. Under the port connectivity programme of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), a 37.5-kilometre (23.3 mi) stretch of these highways will be upgraded from two-lane to four-lane roads.

Even though Mangalore’s city bus service is dominated by private operators, with routes covering the full extent of the city and beyond, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is plying buses in multiple routes.Two distinct sets of routes for the buses exist—city routes are covered by city buses, while intercity routes are covered by service and express buses.KSRTC operates long distance bus services from Mangalore to other parts of the state. The other key players who run bus services from Mangalore are the Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators Association (DKBOA) and the Canara Bus Operators Association (CBOA). There are also KSRTC JnNurmgreen colour city buses plying from the State Bank bus stand. These buses travel to different parts of the city and its suburbs.

Cab providers like Ola Cabs and Uber also offer transport services in the city, and their services are extended to the Mangalore International Airport.

Rail

Rail connectivity in Mangalore was established in 1907. Mangalore was also the starting point of India’s longest rail route. The city has three railway stations—Mangalore Central (at Hampankatta) , Mangalore Junction (at Kankanadi) and Surathkal railway station(at Surathkal). A railway track, built through the Western Ghats, connects Mangalore with Hassan. The broad gauge track connecting Mangalore to Bangalore via Hassan was opened to freight traffic in May 2006 and passenger traffic in December 2007. Mangalore is also connected to Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kollam through the Southern Railway and to Mumbai, Bhatkal, Karwar, Gujarat, Ajmer and Goa via the Konkan Railway.

Sea

The Mangalore Harbour has shipping, storage, and logistical services, while the New Mangalore Port handles dry, bulk, and fluid cargoes. The New Mangalore Port is also equipped to handle petroleum oil lubricants, crude products and LPG containers. It is also the station for the coast guard. This artificial harbour is India’s eighth largest port, in terms of cargo handling, and is the only major port in Karnataka. Foreigners can enter Mangalore through the New Mangalore Port with the help of Electronic visa (e-visa). Cruise ships from Europe, North America and UAE arrive at New Mangalore Port.