Clamour grows in Keralam to augment coaches, introduce more MEMU trains

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An overcrowded coach of a train on the Kollam-Ernakulam route.  | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

Faced with recurrent overcrowding on trains, passenger organisations in Keralam have yet again sought urgent steps to augment the number of coaches in MEMU trains, other short-distance trains and inter-city express trains.

Innumerable commuters who relied on National Highway-66 to travel to other districts have shifted from buses and private vehicles to trains, in the wake of the NH stretch being widened to six lanes in different parts of the State and the accompanying traffic hold-ups in the vicinity of worksites. In this situation, the Railways must allot more coaches to the existing MEMU trains and introduce more MEMU trains from different districts to Ernakulam, said Liyons J., general secretary of Friends on Rails, a collective of train passengers.

Official estimates said it would take until 2028 to complete the six-laning work on the 640-km-long Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod stretch, barring the 17-km Aroor-Edappally NH bypass in the district, where the National Highways Authority of India has not yet commenced any redevelopment work.

“Nowadays, most short-distance trains and the general coaches of other trains are overcrowded. In this situation, it is high time the Railways initiated proactive measures to introduce a couple more MEMU trains during the over-an-hour time gaps that are available aplenty between trains in different directions. For example, a MEMU ought to be launched during the over-an-hour time gap available between Vanchinad Express and Chennai Mail each morning between Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Likewise, there is huge demand for a MEMU train from Ernakulam to Kollam each evening after Parasuram Express,” he said.

Thrissur Railway Passengers’ Association general secretary P. Krishnakumar expressed concern about the inordinate delay in augmenting coaches in MEMU and other short-distance trains, despite repeated demands from commuters. “In addition, steps must be taken to convert all short-distance trains to MEMU trains so that they can accommodate more commuters and accelerate faster,” he said.

Meanwhile, railway sources said MEMU trains now operate with either 12 or 16 coaches. “Apart from NH-66 widening works, more and more commuters are preferring trains since bus and fuel fares are frequently being hiked. At least two more MEMU trains are needed, one northward and another southward of Ernakulam, to cater to the demand. This is being pursued,” they said.

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