A proposal of Southern Railway to operate the semi-high-speed Tejas Express in the Mangaluru- Kozhikode- Coimbatore route is expected to give a fillip to the transportation network in north Kerala. If introduced, it will be the first Tejas Express to run in the State.
The proposal is to operate the train six days a week, except Mondays. With one commercial stop at Kozhikode, the service will benefit daytime passengers in the sector.
Nascent stage
Railway sources say the proposal of the inter-city train service is in its infancy though the mechanical department of the Salem division and the Palakkad division have worked out the feasibility of the service. A final decision on operating the service would be taken only after getting the approval of the Railway Board.
One of the reasons for not hastily going ahead with the proposal is that the Mangaluru Central station has to facilitate the primary maintenance of the new train. The sources say the existing pit line at the Mangaluru station is saturated. But steps are being taken to set up a new pit line at the station. Another is the issue of the inadequate number of platforms there.
The non-availability of platforms is forcing the authorities to terminate intra-Karnataka trains at other stations than Mangaluru Central. Besides, a lobby in Mangaluru is against using the station for north Kerala commuters, the sources said.
The train had been proposed primarily for the benefit of rail commuters of Kozhikode, the sources said.
The railway authorities have not decided on the fares. The coaches of Tejas Express will be fully air-conditioned.
The train will have an executive class chair car and regular air conditioned chair chairs.
