The twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad are actually two cities, unified by single Municipal Corporation. Hubli-Dharwad is the second biggest Conurbation of Karnataka. Hubli has been renamed as as Hubballi on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of formation of Karnataka state. The name Hubballi literally means "Hu" - flower and "Balli" - creeper in Kannada. In reality however, the city is a bustling trading centre of little scenic beauty. On the other hand Dharwad is a charming quaint town spread across seven little hills.
Hubli is the commercial centre and business hub of North Karnataka. It is also a noted industrial town. This historic town was known as Raya Hubli and also as Elaya Puravada Halli during the ancient times. This city metamorphosed into an important commercial centre for trade in cotton and iron during the reign of the Vijaynagara empire. The city is noted for its handloom textile units and has many cotton ginning and processing mills. Cotton and groundnuts peanuts for the Americans are grown aplenty in the surrounding rural areas, and Hubli serves as a major trading centre for both commodities. Sea It is also an important city for the Indian Railways, being the headquarters for South Western Railway Zone and the Hubli Division. It also has a century-old railway wagon workshop.
Dharwad, on the contrary is the seat of learning with two universities, plenty of colleges and some very progressive schools. Hubli-Dharwad are also the renowned seat of Hindustani Music. Dharwad is also emerging as hub for Automobile industry with big plants like Tata Construction TELCON & Tata Motors.
By plane
Kingfisher Airlines connect the city with Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai. With night-landing facilities being constructed at Hubli Airport, the traffic is expected to grow in the coming years.
By train
Hubli is well connected to all major parts of India
To Bangalore: InterCity Express 2726Departure at 6.20AM, Jan Shatabdi Express 2080Departure at 2.00PM, Rani Chennamma Express 6590, Hampi Express 6591
To Mysore:Dharwad-Mysore Express
To Mumbai & Pune: Chalukya Express 1018, Sharavati Express 1036
To New Delhi: Sampark Kranti 2629; Link/Goa Express
To Kolkata/Vijayawada: Vasco Howrah Express 2848
To Chennai: Hubli Chennai 7314, Vasco Chennai 7312
To Hyderabad: Haripriya Express 7416
To Ahmedabad & Rajasthan: Jodhpur Express 6508, Ajmer Express 6510, Garib Nawaz Express 6532, Gandhidham Express 6506
Hubli-Dharwad Local
By bus
Hubli is well connected to Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Mangalore,Mysore and Goa by bus, both by private carriers and the state owned NWKRTC North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation. Some prominent private carriers are:
VRL
Offers Sleeper coaches and sitting to Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, MangaloreKamat
Offers Sleeper coaches and sitting to Bangalore, Pune, MumbaiVOLVO buses being operated by many of the private and state carriers are much faster and comfortable than normal deluxe buses.