The Hindu : Train passengers left in the lurch

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 22, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Train passengers left in the lurch

By K.P. Pushparaj

KASARAGOD, MARCH 21. Even as the track-doubling work between Kozhikode and Mangalore has entered the final phase, passengers at the northern end of the State are left high and dry by Railways. The reported decision of Railways to withdraw the West Coast Express (night train) even when there are not enough trains during daytime has come as a bolt from the blue to the people here.

Though Railways is leant to have decided to introduce a new super fast train (summer vacation special) between Mangalore and Chennai and retain it even after the summer, the withdrawal of the West Coast Express would in all probability affect the trading community badly. Once this train is withdrawn, the people of Kasaragod and nearby areas would have no train towards south after the 6.45 p.m. Malabar Express. The next train would be the Kurla Express which reaches here at 5.30 a.m.

Also, the Nagercoil Express (on Mondays) and the Ohka Express (on Fridays) leaving Kasaragod at 2.15 p.m. are the only choice for the people here to travel to their State capital. Though the Jodhpur-Thiruvananthapuram Express runs through Kasaragod on Thursdays, it has no halt here.

The only two trains for the people of Malabar to travel to Mangalore during daytime are the Chennai-Mangalore Mail which leaves Kozhikode at 8 in the morning and the Coimbatore-Mangalore Fast Passenger which leaves Kozhikode at 1-30 p.m. In the opposite direction also,

the Mangalore-Tiruchi Link Express which leaves Mangalore at 8 a.m. and the Mangalore-Chennai Mail (12-30 p.m.) are the only options for the passengers here. Though a few weekly-once trains stop at Kasaragod, these are hardly enough to cater to the needs of swelling passenger traffic in the area.

It is also learnt that Neeleswaram and Cheruvathur would be removed from the list of halt stations of the West Coast Express. An action committee headed by M. Kumaran, MLA, has been formed to put pressure on Railways to reconsider the decision, which would affect the trading community badly.

"We would be happy if the West Coast Express is retained at least up to Coimbatore. This would ensure a night train for us back home. Most of us make it to Coimbatore once or twice in a week for purchases," a merchant who runs an electric goods shop in Mangalore said.

It is pointed out that there are two main reasons for the lean traffic through Kasaragod. Most trains to the north terminate at Kannur, as if it is the northernmost tip of the State; and the few trains that go beyond Kannur do not halt here. The extension of the Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram (6647/ 6648) Express up to Mangalore and the introduction of a new inter-city express between Kannur and Goa are proposed as immediate measures to mitigate the sufferings of train passengers in this sector. On a double track, the running time between Kannur and Mangalore is less than two-and-a-half hours, it is pointed out. The Kannur-Goa inter-city express would be well received by the passengers as a connection train to the Kochi-Kannur Inter-city, it is pointed out.

Despite being the entry point to the State on the north and a district headquarters, the Rajadhani Express and the Jodhpur Express do not have halt at Kasaragod.

"Denying a halt for the Jodhpur train (at Kasaragod) is like adding insult to injury. The weekly-once train would have been a blessing to passengers towards Thiruvananthapuram. These two trains halt only at Kannur after Kankanadi, running about three hours non-stop. Despite being an alighting point to various major tourist destinations and pilgrim centres in the district, it is a pity that these two trains do not have a stop at Kasaragod," an official said.

"We are pinning our hopes on our new MP, who we hope would give top priority to the railway requirements of the district. After all, it is Kasaragod and not Kannur which is the northern tip of the State," a train commuter and employee of a nationalised bank in Kanhangad said.

Meanwhile, the track-doubling work between Kozhikode and Mangalore is complete barring the 5-km stretch between Kannur and Valapattanam and another 5-km stretch between Kottikulam and Kasaragod.

The doubling work is fast progressing between Valapattanam and Kannur and the second track is most likely to be commissioned by April-end.

The original track between Kottikulam and Kasaragod was closed a couple of months ago for degrading work on the track in the Udma sector. The work on lowering the track in this section is halfway through and is expected to be over within a month or two.

With the opening of these two sectors, track-doubling in the 230-km stretch between Kozhikode and Mangalore would be complete. However, the caution (slow running) over the Moorad bridge near Vadakara has been a hurdle for the smooth running of trains.

The trains still run at a regulated speed of 20 km/hr over the new bridge, opened on March 31 last.

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