TIRUCHY: As the holiday season has seen an increase in passenger footfall in many stations across the State, including Tiruchy, the Southern Railways recently announced special trains to meet the demand. The footfall usually increases during weekends.
According to sources, more special trains will be required to meet the demand and the railway will likely be announcing them in the coming days.
At present, around 40,000 passengers a day use the Tiruchy railway station and the footfall is higher during weekends. According to sources, the railway has been closely monitoring the footfall on each route and more special trains have been planned.
Last month, the railway announced Tirunelveli-Mettupalayam Weekly Special, Udhna-Mangalore Weekly Summer Special, Ernakulam-Gorakhpur Weekly Special, Tambaram-Nagercoil Weekly Superfast Special and other trains to manage the summer rush.
According to sources, the demand for AC coaches will also be met. "We will be allotting more trains after considering the demand on each route. Currently, most of the trains are running with 100 per cent occupancy. As there is a high demand for AC coaches due to summer, we have planned for more AC coaches," a source said.
Many passengers also opined that the railway should allot more trains. "We are glad that the railway has resumed most of the services that were suspended due to COVID. It is a great relief for several passengers dependent on it. The railway should allot more trains ahead of holidays like Eid. It should take steps to place handwash or soap in coach toilets. The handwash dispensers at the coach toilet are often empty," said T Vasudevan, a passenger of Karaikal-Ernakulam Express.
However, some of the passengers expressed concern about the safety of AC coaches, as there is a higher chance for the spread of the virus. "Since COVID cases are on the rise in some of the States, there are concerns about the safety of AC coaches. We hope the railway will consider it and ensure sufficient sanitation on such coaches," said Vineeth Kumar, a passenger of Guruvayur Express.
Meanwhile, officials said AC coaches are safe and there is no need for worry. "The coaches are kept at a comfortable temperature of 24 to 26 degree celsius. Apart from this, the rate of air per hour is also enhanced to let more fresh air inside the coaches. The coaches are sanitised after every trip and AC ducts
are cleaned during periodic overhauling of the coaches," a senior railway official said.