KOCHI: The demand for more trains from northern states is a familiar refrain in Kerala. However, the railways keeps turning a deaf ear to all the prayers. Due to the lack of trains, every year the Christmas holidayers from cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad are reduced to scrambling for seats, without any luck. The fact that the Sabarimala season coincides with the Christmas and New Year holidays only makes matters worse.
On Wednesday, the national rail transporter announced the introduction of 51 special trains from various zones to Kerala. “The action has come very late and is still inadequate. Of the 51 trains, 17 are to and from Chennai. What about passengers who want to come home from other regions?” asks Thomas Simon, general secretary of the Western India Passengers’ Association. The very first train to be pressed into service has been completely booked, he added.
The people of Malabar are also not happy with the move. “The decision has come too late and people living in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi are yet to start booking for several train services. The region has been completely neglected despite our repeated requests and petitions. The situation of people from Malabar living in places like Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad is really bad. They are forced to spend thousands of rupees on bus and flight tickets,” asserts C E Chakkunny, working chairman, Confederation of All India Rail Users’ Association.
“Many don’t even know about the special trains. The railways makes announcements at odd times,” Thomas said. In response to the demand for trains from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram via Kottayam, the railways has announced one special train, he said. “But one can see that it is not enough,” he added. Do they really want to help out the passengers? he says.
What has made matters worse is that airfares have gone up due to demand and is not an option for middle-class travellers, said Thomas. Another strange fact is that at a time when more than one lakh pilgrims are said to arrive at Sabarimala every day, 31 trains do not stop at Tiruvalla, the only railway station in Pathanamthitta district. Thomas said tourist arrivals in Kerala are about 1.8 crore each year, out of which 90% are domestic arrivals. “But when it comes to trains, the numbers are very low and not enough to cater to the travel needs of tourists,” he added.
“Since 2005, we have been asking for more trains on the Mumbai-Kerala route. There is only one daily train from Mumbai to Kerala: the 16345/16346 LTT Mumbai-Trivandrum Netravati Express via Alappuzha. It skips the main line via Kottayam and Tiruvalla. During the period from 2005 to 2013, three biweekly trains (2201/2223/22113) had been approved; a total of six services a week. But these trains were not enough to meet demand,” he added.
According to him, a survey conducted a few years back through various agencies indicated a need for at least five daily trains from Mumbai to Kerala. “But, the 46-year-old 16381/16382 Mumbai CSNTKanyakumari Jayanti Janata Express was discontinued this year, creating more issues for passengers. From 2006 to 2018, biweekly winter specials used to operate on the Mumbai- Trivandrum and Mumbai-Ernakulam routes from December to January,” he said.
Despite multiple memorandums being submitted by passenger associations, the central and southern railways always take a stubborn stand that they will not operate any special trains to Kerala.“This is discriminatory,” he said. The passengers’ association has sought the Union railway minister’s intervention in this matter. “We have urged him to operate a tri-weekly winter special super- fast from LTT Mumbai to Kochuveli via Goa-Mangaluru- Ernakulam-Kottayam-Tiruvalla or the immediate upgradation of 22113/22114 LTT Mumbai-Kochuveli super fast from a bi-weekly to a daily service. It has been a long pending demand,” he added.