The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Passengers demand trains, coaches

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 06, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Passengers demand trains, coaches

John L Paul

Crowded trains make travelling a difficult affair

KOCHI: Frequent hike in bus fares and the strain of travelling through congested highways is making more and more people shift to trains as a convenient mode of transport.

This has resulted in most long-distance and passenger trains running packed to capacity. But the Railways is yet to rise to the occasion by introducing new long-distance trains (especially to Bangalore and Mumbai) and more coaches in passenger trains.

Submits memorandum

President of the Kollam-Ernakulam Railway Users' Association (KERUA) Paul K.J. Manvettom says that keeping in view the plight of passengers the association recently sent a request to the General Manager, Southern Railway, demanding at least two daily trains to Bangalore.

As of now, a few special trains are plying to Bangalore, apart from the newly introduced weekly train.

The special trains will be withdrawn by mid-January, putting thousands of commuters, particularly IT professionals, in much difficulty.

"They will all be forced to rely on dozens of luxury buses which ply daily to Bangalore, paying almost double the train fare or pack themselves into overcrowded general compartments of the Island Express. The express train is also very slow."

"If this is the case with long-distance trains, the fate of commuters using passenger trains is worse. The Ernakulam-Kollam Passenger and the Ernakulam-Alappuzha Passenger trains are jam-packed with passengers, especially office goers. These trains ply with hardly eight coaches. This has to be increased to at least 14."

Apart from reducing congestion in passenger trains, this will also in the long run reduce the number of stops of express trains.

Many people are now forced to travel in express trains, to avoid the rush in passenger trains.

EMUs sought

"It is high time electrical multiple units (EMUs) are introduced in the Alappuzha-Thrissur sector, to cater to increasing demand from passengers. Moreover, rail-doubling work on the 17-km route between Ernakulam and Mulanthuruthy is yet to be completed, four years after the work was sanctioned. Once completed, this will considerably prevent the late running of trains," said Mr. Manvettom.

More weekly trains

Ernakulam Area Manager of the Railways C.M. Chandrasekharan Nair said that the Kanyakumari-Bangalore Island Express was now plying with 22 coaches.

"No additional coaches can be added to it. The weekly train on Sunday and the special trains are plying with 19 to 20 coaches. Attempts are being made to increase the frequency of the weekly train to Bangalore. Similarly, there is demand for more trains to Mumbai through the Konkan route," he said. The `pit line' (which is used to service trains) at Ernakulam can accommodate only a train at a time.

The Railways needs more coaches, loco drivers, travelling ticket examiners for introducing more trains to Bangalore and Mumbai and to add more coaches to passenger trains.

On the demand for more coaches in passenger trains, Mr. Nair said that most of these trains were now operating with 10 to 11 coaches in the Kollam-Guruvayur sector.

"This will soon be increased, subject to availability of coaches. Low-power engines can only pull 10 coaches. Recently, we have introduced high-power engines, which can pull more number of coaches. But there is shortage of coaches. The shortage of second-class coaches will be solved to a large extent once the Sabarimala season is over. By the third week of January, all passenger trains will ply with 11 coaches. This could be increased to 12 or 13 in the long run."

Ticket counters

On the serpentine queues at ticket counters at the Ernakulam Junction railway station, Mr. Chandrasekharan Nair said that there were altogether eight counters (including one for the handicapped) in the station.

"These include two in the recently-inaugurated eastern entry. But passengers continue to throng the counters on the main entry, leaving the ones on the eastern side under-utilised. Often, we have to close down a counter on the eastern side for want of demand," he said.

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