KOCHI:The Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit (DEMU) train rolled out of the Cochin Harbour Terminus (CHT) on Wednesday giving wing to the hopes of the people living along the route and working on Willingdon Island. However, the train that was scheduled to leave the station at 8 am only started its journey by 9 am and its return journey was cancelled due to track work being carried out at CHT.
According to the station master, the train left the station with 20 passengers, including Railway authorities. “The services will go on as per schedule from Thursday,” he added. However, the passengers and the locals are not a happy lot.
According to a passenger, using a single rake to run the service itself shows the Railways is not serious. “Two rakes had come in. But after the start of the service got delayed, one of the rakes was taken away. Now, only a single rake will be operating between the stations,” said Ravi Shankar, a government employee. The lack of stops too does not augur well for the DEMU service. “Not many people will use the train since stops have not yet been sanctioned as needed. If the railways had allotted stops at Vathuruthy, Naval Base and Perumanoor, people would have used the train. The Railways wants to gauge whether running the train will be profitable enough. However, if the train has only one stop at a place no one actually gets on, it is unlikely to produce the needed results,” he said.
According to Simon Varghese, who works at Port Trust, all this is just a sham. “The railway gate at Vathuruthy is a relic. Today, it took long to get the gate closed, further delaying the train. According to the Railways, the proposal for a railway overbridge has been sanctioned, but it is getting delayed because of local intervention,” he said.
According to a Railway officer, the locals are bracing themselves to raise objections over land acquisition. Many people who work in various public and private establishments in Willingdon Island and travel from Kottayam and Kollam want the train to be extended till Kollam.“If the train is extended till Kottayam or Kollam, it will be beneficial to a lot of people. It will also prove to be profitable,” said Mini Kurian, a government employee.