Kerala   

Setback to plan for suburban rail services

KOCHI. Suburban rail services from Kochi to neighbouring districts seem to be a far cry.

The Railways are not too keen on the rail network, which would have provided fast connectivity from Kochi to Kottayam, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts. The reason cited by senior officials is the ‘low patronage’ enjoyed by push-pull trains. “Many of these trains had to be withdrawn, as people did not like to travel in coaches without toilets,” an official said.

The suburban rail-network requires dedicated tracks, like in Mumbai and Chennai. As of now, even doubling the existing single-line tracks is a tough proposition and the tracks are running in excess of their capacity.

“Moreover, passenger trains are now less congested after the number of coaches of each train was increased from 10 to 14.”

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had carried out a study on the feasibility of operating an inter-district suburban-rail service, with Kochi as the centre. A high-ranking official of the Corporation said suburban services were possible in the Guruvayoor-Thrissur-Kochi; Alappuzha-Kochi; and Kottayam-Kochi sectors. “What the metro-rail is for intra-district travel is the suburban rail network for inter-district commuting. People (who work in Kochi) would be willing to settle outside the city and even in nearby districts, thus decongesting it, once suburban trains at frequent intervals become a reality. The existing rail lines can be used since electrification has been done in most routes.”

The suburban network will augment the proposed metro-rail service, as commuters can alight at Aluva, Kalamassery or Thripunithura railway stations and commute to their workplace using the metro, instead of travelling all the way to the two railway stations in the city.

Suburban trains would also see bus commuters shift to it, as the fares will be much lower.

Railway sources said introducing mainline electrical multiple units (MEMUs) would make commuting faster and user-friendly. “They would ultimately replace some passenger trains. The advantages are many – acceleration and deceleration are faster and they have wider doors, making entry and exit through the door faster.

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