COIMBATORE: Passengers and members of Railway Users Consultative Committee expressed disappointment over the Southern Railway’s recent decision to operate a special train between Bengaluru and Kochuveli in Kerala via Podanur and not Coimbatore.
The railway administration had announced operation of weekly special train from Bangaluru to Kochuveli in view of Durga Puja and Deepavali from October 3 to clear rush. The train will have a stoppage in Podanur and will not reach Coimbatore Junction.
J Sathish, director of Kongu global forum, an organisation working for developing infrastructure in eight districts in western TN said, “Residents of Coimbatore have been demanding an overnight train to Bengaluru for the last 40 years. There are lakhs of people from Kerala living in Coimbatore, who are deprived of a night train. Many proposals were sent to the railway board, but they are still under consideration. Whereas Southern Railway is operating special trains from Kerala to Bengaluru bypassing Coimbatore.”
He said the attitude of the railway authorities was condemnable. He urged that the special train should be operated via Coimbatore Junction which would give passengers an additional service to Bengaluru.
Similarly, members of railway users’ consultative committee condemned the increase of running hours for Coimbatore to Chennai Superfast weekly Exp train (12682) by 35
K Jayaraj, member of Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC), Southern Railway, said, “Earlier, the train started at 11.30 pm from Coimbatore Junction and reached Chennai at 7.20 am. Now, the running time has been increased up to 7.55 am to reach Chennai instead of 7.20 am. Instead of reducing the journey time after the condition of the tracks between Arakkonam and Chennai improved, it has increased. It will discourage passengers from travelling by the train.”