Kerala has opposed the move of Railways to withdraw stops sanctioned for long-distance trains at railway stations where the number of daily reserved passengers is fewer than 50.
Expressing anguish over the Railway Ministry’s move and Railway Board Chairman’s announcement in this regard, Minister for Public Works and Railways G. Sudhakaran has said 31 railway stations in the State might lose stoppages through this unilateral decision.
In a letter to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, the Minister said stoppages for long-distance trains in Kerala were comparatively more than in other States. Most of the cities and activity centres were located along a linear line extending north to south over 580 km.
Heavy commuter traffic was seen on trains from cities and towns located close to main commercial cities such as Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur. The population and developments in the State were evenly and linearly distributed, he said.
He urged the Union Railway Minister to intervene and direct the railway authorities to refrain from the withdrawal of stoppages.
