THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Seeking urgent attention over the late running of trains in the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad divisions, Friends on Rails, a collective of train commuters, has submitted a petition to Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
According to the collective, even though the Punctuality Division of the Railway Board had criticised the two divisions for their below par performance in keeping to the schedule, the situation remains unchanged.
“The Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad divisions have taken no positive and proactive steps to improve punctuality. In addition, the new schedule of arrival timings in the two divisions is causing hardships for commuters,” said the petition.
Meanwhile, Liyons J, secretary of Friends on Rails, alleged there were strong reasons to believe the anti-commuter decisions being taken by Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad divisions is part of a plot to belittle the collective and turn commuters against it.
He stated the new moves should be seen in relation to the earlier actions of some Tamil Nadu-based lobbyists working relentlessly to scale down the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad divisions.