There have been reports in Solapur newspapers recently about this train getting extension to Gadag, which will be notified soon. I personally feel that this is a good move, by not keeping train idle & most importantly benefiting many people around Solapur.
There is a genuine worry for Solapur that they might not be able to get berth/ seat easily. I agree. I have travelled in this train about 4 times from Solapur to Mumbai, and have seen occupancy to the extent of 50-80% from Solapur itself, which gets filled more at Kurduwadi, but of course, depending upon season.
I...
more... firmly believe that this concern can be easily overcome or lessened, if Railways could add an additional 5-6 sleeper coaches & a couple of GEN coaches & make it a 20 coacher and then extend it to Gadag. There is no doubt that Bijapur,Bagalkot, Gadag region requires a proper direct overnight connectivity to Mumbai, even though the demand might be less or distributed over other trains.
Secondly, I also feel that whenever extension happens, this superfast should not become mail/passenger type after Solapur towards Gadag. People should reach destinations fast and hassle free. If it becomes slow, the rake turnaround time is affected which may lead to no proper maintenance.