KOLLAM: The conversion of Kerala’s Jan Shatabdi Express to modern LHB (Linke-Hofmann-Busch) coaches has failed to impress passengers, with complaints ranging from uncomfortable seating to poorly designed toilets. Punctuality has also remained a concern.
The Jan Shatabdi services in Kerala were introduced in 2002 between Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam with much fanfare. In May, the Jan Shatabdi was converted to LHB coaches, which are generally expected to provide passengers with better facilities and improved comfort.
However, passengers have complained that seatbacks in the new coaches are positioned almost at 90 degrees, making the journey particularly uncomfortable. The issue has drawn complaints from regular commuters.
The issue is particularly significant as the Jan Shatabdi connects major destinations across the state, with the Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram service covering around 500 km and the Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram service around 399 km.
“The seats in trains like Venad Express, Jan Shatabdi and Bengaluru Intercity have become extremely uncomfortable. Even private local buses have better seats. The Railways should make those responsible for designing these seats travel in them for a day to understand passengers’ difficulties,” said Navaneeth Krishnan S, a regular commuter.
He said he had raised the issue through Rail Madad and received a reply that it would be addressed during the next upgrade, as several complaints had been received.
Meanwhile, punctuality continues to be another concern. On two occasions in August, when TNIE travelled on the Jan Shatabdi from Kollam Junction to Thiruvananthapuram Central, the trains were delayed by around 30 minutes.
Passengers have also complained about the toilets, saying water tends to stagnate inside them because of the design.
Meanwhile, officials of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), which manufactures railway coaches, said the coaches were manufactured and supplied to Southern Railway several years ago and that ICF no longer manufactures such coaches.
“Currently, we do not manufacture these kinds of coaches. The allocation of coaches is under the jurisdiction of Southern Railway,” an ICF official said.
