KOCHI: The monsoon railway timings, which came into force on Monday, led to confusion among passengers who had booked tickets for train No 12617 Ernakulam Junction-Nizamuddin Mangala Lakshadweep Express. Many passengers missed their train after they arrived at the stations as per the old timetable.
“The train’s departure timing has been advanced by two hours,” said an aggrieved passenger who was to board the train from Aluva. “The Railways should have notified passengers,” he said. However, according to the Railway authorities, notifications were sent to every passenger who had made reservations. “But many passengers either give some acquaintance’s number or never bother to check their message inbox,” said a Railway official.
According to a statement issued by the Railway, the monsoon timings will be implemented in the Konkan Railway section with effect from Monday (June 10) and will be valid up to October 31. “Trains operating through Konkan Railway section will have changes in arrival and departure timings during this period,” said the railways.
Meanwhile, Venad Express yet again validated the pet name ‘Late Express’ given by the passengers. On Monday, the train was delayed by an hour. “It has become a regular feature for this train. The sad part is that this train is the only means of transport for hundreds of office-goers,” said Rajani, a government employee who works in Ernakulam.
“After Palaruvi Express, Venad is the one that people working in Ernakulam and Thrissur depend upon. But of late the train is becoming a very unviable means of transport. Nearly a major chunk of the passengers are government employees and they have to punch in their attendance by a particular time. However, since the train gets delayed, we have to make a mad dash,” said Sahira, another government employee.
However, the railway authorities said, such delays happen rarely. “On Monday, the train got delayed after a tree fell on to the track at Kochuveli. The electric circuit had to be switched off to remove the tree and resume service,” said a railway officer.
Monsoon Time Table
Train No.12617 Ernakulam Junction – Nizamuddin Mangala Lakshadweep Express scheduled to leave Ernakulam Junction at 1:15 pm will leave at 10:50 am and reach Nizamuddin station at 1:15 pm
Train No.10215 Madgaon-Ernakulam Weekly Superfast Express scheduled to leave Madgaon at 9:30 pm will leave Madgaon at 9 am and reach Ernakulam at 10:55 am the next day
Monsoon Timings for Temporary Stoppages
Train No. 19423 Tirunelveli-Gandhidham Humsafar Express: Kayankulam (Arrival 12:18 hrs./Departure 12.20 hrs.) and Thrissur (16.02 hrs./16.05 hrs.).
Train No. 19424 Gandhidham-Tirunelveli Humsafar Express: Thrissur (02.23 hrs./02.25 hrs.) and Kayankulam (05.27 hrs./05.28 hrs.).
Train No. 19577 Tirunelveli-Jamnagar Biweekly Express: Valliyur (08.19 hrs./08.20 hrs.) and Parassala (09.44 hrs./09.45 hrs.).
Train No. 19578 Jamnagar-Tirunelveli Biweekly Express: Parassala(19.10 hrs./19.11 hrs.) and Valliyur(21.20 hrs./21.21 hrs.).
Train No. 12431 Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express: Kasargod(04.23 hrs./04.25 hrs.).