THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The steep hike in rail fares for both passenger and freight categories has come as a bolt from the blue for commuters in Kerala. The state which depends heavily on rail traffic for transporting essential commodities will have a tough time as the increased fares, especially for freight movement, are likely to push the prices upward in the coming days. It has also burdened the passengers who have been relying on trains as the only affordable mode of transport.
‘’We knew a fare hike was imminent. But a hike of over 14 per cent and that too before the budget was a rude shock,’’ said Pushpalatha S, a regular train commuter. Most of the commuters are peeved at the fact that though the Railways effected a steep hike in fares, there has been no improvement in rail infrastructure or number of trains plying in the state.
‘’The condition of bogies in some of the trains are pathetic with some of them leaking during the rainy season. The hike would have been justified had the Railways brought in some improvement in condition of trains,’’ said Sajith Raj, a student.
‘’Rail passengers had some hope on the new government. Considering the fact that the previous Railway budget did not offer anything new to the state, this hike has come as a double whammy. We demand a rollback of the fare hike,’’ said Paravoor Sajeeb, state president, Railway Passengers’ Association.
“More than short-distance passengers, the impact of the fare hike will be felt more on long-distance commuters. After taking the hike into account, a person who had to pay `700 for a ticket will have to shell out close to ` 100 extra.
“Now, a Second AC Rajadhani ticket from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi will cost close to `600 more,’’ Sajeeb said.
However, there are also concerns that the hike in freight charges will have a ripple effect on the price of essential communities.
“Price rise of essential commodities is a natural outcome of the hike in freight charges. In a consumer state like Kerala, the impact of price rise will be the maximum.
“Also, it is illogical to compare rail fares with bus fares taking into account the fact that thousands of common people rely on Railways as the only affordable mode of transport,’’ said Poovachal Sadasivan, former member of Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee.