THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Long-standing demands for improved rail connectivity between south Kerala and Palani have received a boost with the Railways announcing a special train service between Thiruvananthapuram North and Podanur via Palani.
The new service comes as relief to thousands of pilgrims and passengers from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts who largely depended on the Amritha Express for direct travel to Palani.
Following the extension of the train to Rameswaram, passengers had been facing severe difficulties in securing tickets.
MP Kodikunnil Suresh said, the demand for a new service through the Punalur-Madurai-Palani route had been repeatedly raised before the railway ministry and railway board over the past several months.
The proposal was also discussed at a high-level meeting held at the southern railway’s Thiruvananthapuram divisional headquarters recently.
Railway authorities reportedly decided to operate the service from Thiruvananthapuram North as maintenance facilities are presently unavailable at Kollam and Kottayam stations. While services to Coimbatore and Erode were initially sought, platform constraints at those stations led to the decision to operate the train up to Podanur.
The service is expected to benefit pilgrims travelling to Palani as well as passengers heading to major commercial centres in Tamil Nadu.
Notably, it will be the first LHB-coach train service to operate through the Punalur-Madurai route connecting the Kollam region with western Tamil Nadu. However, concerns have been raised over the limited number of stops allotted in Kerala.
The MP has sought additional halts at stations including Chirayinkeezhu, Kundara, Ezhukone, Avaneeswaram, Thenmala and Aryankavu, stating that sufficient buffer time is available in the schedule. He has also urged the railway ministry and railway board to continue service beyond the initially announced runs.
