The All-Kerala Railway Passengers’ Association (AKRPA) on Wednesday sought a separate railway zone for the state for the overall development of railway sector. Other demands of the association include an electrified double line railway track from Mangalore to Kanyakumari.
“Funds should be provided in the next railway budget for electrification of the Mangalore-Kanyakumari track. Along with that, more trains should be allotted to Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, where there is a substantial Malayali population. Our other demands include more passenger trains, more reserved compartments and due importance to the safety of women,” AKRPA president Mathews Paul said. The association also demanded more stops for the newly-launched Punalur-Guruvayur train.
“More trains should be sanctioned stops at Chovvara and Nellayi stations. The budgetary allocation for Kerala in the railway budget is meager. This situation should change and the state should be given more importance in the budget. We also record our strong protest against the decision to close the Ernakulam diesel loco shed,” he said. AKPRA office-bearers K V Jayaprakash, S C Kuttalam Pilla, V George, Thressiamma Nellippuzha, C G Prasannakumar and K A S Mani also spoke.