Train services in Kerala out of gear

Thiruvananthapuram: Rail passengers all over the state have been put to considerable trouble due the cancellation and delay of trains, and reduction of coaches. The main causes cited for the disruption are shortage of locopilots, shortage of coaches and maintenance.

Across the state, 11 compartments, including general coaches, have been pulled out of service, adding to the woes of passengers. It is when general coaches generally run jampacked that their cancellation comes as a major blow to the commuters.

One coach each has been taken out from Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai Superfast (12696), Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express (13351), and Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express (13352). Tirunelveli-Palakkad Palaruvi Express (16791) and its counterpart train are now running with three coaches fewer.

In some trains ladies coaches have also been withdrawn. General coaches normally have 90-100 seats, but the number of passengers boarding these coaches are mostly thrice that during peak hours. Therefore, taking a conservative estimate of 300 passengers travelling in these coaches, the capacity reduction across the 11 trains will be 3,300. And female passengers, virtually thrown out from the Kochuveli-Bengaluru Express (16316) are forced to board the already crowded general coaches.

The decision to cancel coaches along the Alappuzha track, which already suffers from lesser than required services, has invited popular wrath.

Meanwhile, owing to the maintenance works going on in the track between Ernakulam and Thrissur, many trains plying in this route show a dismal punctuality record. Some trains which had gained back their punctuality have again gone back to delays.

Trains that reached Kozhikode railway station on Monday were mostly behind schedule by hours. Parasuram Express, scheduled to arrive at 4.10 pm actually arrived with a delay of 2h 15m. Similar was the case with Coimbatore-Kannur passenger that ran late by an hour and 15 minutes. Ernad Express plying between Nagercoil and Mengaluru Central also has been erratic performance for the last several days.

On the other hand, Railway authorities in the capital say that when electrification of rail tracks will be complete in 2021-22, the running time of trains will come down by 10 to 15 per cent.

Along with electrification, the efficiency of track also should also improve to realize the operational gains anticipated, Member of Railway Board Ghanshyam Singh told mediapersons in New Delhi.

He informed that so far 29,000 route km have been commissioned and work is ongoing along 20,000 km. There is also a plan to replace diesel engines which are 18 years or more old, with electric engines. He added that the new engines will also be pollution-free.