The Centre’s issuance of ‘Unlock 4’ guidelines, which include permission to resume metro rail services in a phased manner, has given impetus to the demand that Southern Railway operate special express trains linking neighbouring districts in Kerala.
Currently, only half-a-dozen train services, including long-distance ones, operate in the State. P. Krishnakumar, member, Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee, said Railways must introduce short-distance special express trains in most sought-after sectors, so that traffic could be reduced on highways.
Regular passengers, who travel to Ernakulam for jobs or for business, have been demanding resumption of train services from Kottayam and Alappuzha to Ernakulam.
In-demand sectors
Among those who wrote to the Centre, demanding special trains in Kerala was T.N. Pratapan, MP. “Railways must, in consultation with States, introduce more special trains. The sectors most in demand are Thrissur-Ernakulam and Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram. A large number of people are now deprived of a mode of commute,” he said in a letter to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goel.
In the absence of trains, passengers depend on vans and pooled cars, thus incurring huge expense. Train is the safest mode of commute and ensures physical distancing. A couple of special trains will instil confidence in public, and help open up the economy, Mr. Pratapan said.
Currently, the only short-distance special train is the Venad Express. The pair of Jansatabdi Express trains from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode and Kannur, are the other intra-State trains in service now.
Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Sirish Kumar Sinha said he was yet to receive any petition seeking special trains. The Railway Ministry would have to decide, he said.
‘State govt. must act’
Railway sources said the State government must assert itself and demand short-distance trains, much relied on by the common man. “Most trains in service have low occupancy, though the number of coaches remains the same. Railways have taken care to ensure safety of commuters in AC coaches too, so much so that no COVID-19 case has been reported due to train travel,” they said.
Also, Southwestern Railway can introduce Bengaluru -Kerala services, adhering to COVID-19 protocol. This would reduce traffic on NHs, especially in Malabar, they added.
