ALAPPUZHA: The passengers of Nagercoil-Mangalore Ernad Express blocked the Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express at Thuravoor railway station on Monday disrupting traffic through the coastal rail route for over one-and-a-half hours.
The passengers blocked the train which reached the main line alleging that the Ernad Express was halted at the station for the Jan Shatabdi Express to overtake it.
Passengers said they had been facing difficulties owing to the halting of the train for the past few months. The speed of trains has come down drastically after the Karukutty accident, said Prashant, a passenger.
“We cannot reach office on time. Most of the days, the railway authorities halt the Ernad Express at Thuravoor or Cherthala for over half-an-hour for the Jan Shatabdi to overtake it. The ordeal has become unbearable and we blocked the train in protest,” he said.
The Ernad Express leaves Thiruvananthapuram at 3.35 am and the Jan Shatabdi at 6 am. However, Jan Shatabdi will overtake Ernad between Alappuzha and Thuravoor every day. Railway authorities halt the Ernad Express for more than 20 to 30 minutes daily between Thuravoor and Cherthala, he said.Maintenance and doubling works on Kayamkulam-Kottayam-Ernakulam route have been delaying train services through the coastal route. The railways has diverted many services through the coastal line following the doubling work on the Kottayam stretch.
The Ernad Express was delayed for more than one-and-a-half hours owing to track maintenance work on Monday.
The passengers started blocking the train at 8.15 am. However, traffic was restored after 10.30 am. The agitation ended after the railway officials agreed to stick to the timings.
Protection Force CI Anilkumar said they have started an investigation into the incident.