Kerala passengers protest shortage of inter-district special trains

The demands intensified after the Railways decided to stop three trains services in the state citing low number of passengers, and then withdrew this decision after protests.
Trains
Trains

Thousands of railway passengers in Kerala are demanding that the Southern Railways add more special trains in the state to ensure better connectivity to other districts. The protesters have asked the Railway Board to restart train services such as the Parasuram Express which runs from Nagercoil to Mangaluru and covers the whole of Kerala, as well as the Vanchinad Express - an inter-city service running between Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam.

Demands to restart more trains were sparked after the Southern Railways decided to stop three existing train services in Kerala recently, leaving hundreds in the lurch. But after protests from several quarters and MPs writing to the Centre, the Railway Board then withdrew this decision.

The trains that were going to be stopped were the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express and the Thiruvananthapuram -Ernakulam Venad Express. These train services were only just restarted in May 2020, during Unlock 3 phase of relaxations.

The railways cited low occupancy as the reason for stopping these services. It was not profitable to run the trains as the Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express had recorded less than 24 percent passengers and the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur trains had less than 13 percent occupancy. The Venad Express also had been recording lower passengers since it restarted post lockdown. According to reports, the Railway Board had planned to stop all trains running below 25 percent occupancy.

However, passengers have explained the reasons for the low number of passengers in these trains.

Fewer stops

"A train only has one stop in each district. This becomes difficult for commuters who want to go to other regions in the district. They end up paying more for feeder services," says Liyons J, Secretary of Friends on Rails, an NPO representing over 7000 railway commuters in Kerala.

Friends on Rails has submitted a petition to the Southern Railways, against the move to stop the trains. 

"The number of public transport buses are very low in the backdrop of COVID-19. This is the main reason why people from remote areas are not able to use train services which only have one stop, resulting in low occupancy," the petition reads. It also stated that the Southern Railways were 'offering only skeletal service to the people of Kerala, with a handful of trains.' 

Inconvenient timings

Timings have now become a problem as passengers are to arrive at the station an hour in advance. "Online reservations too close 2 hours before the departure time," says Geeta M, President of Friends on Rails.

The Venad Express leaves from the capital city at 5 am. This means that passengers are to finish online reservations before 3 am and arrive at the station before 4 am, making it tough.

Fewer stops means trains also reach places faster, and this becomes inconvenient.

"Several passengers who work in Kottayam take the Venad Express from Thiruvananthapuram. They have to reach their offices by 10 am only. But because of fewer stops, they reach the station at 8 am and have to wait for 2 hours," adds Liyons.

COVID-19 restrictions mean that only 1 in 4 people travel in one train. This automatically reduces the occupancy rates. Further, the train services have only just opened up and passengers are still warming up to the idea of taking public transport. At this juncture, Liyons says, it was not right to stop the few trains that were restarted.

Services such as the Thiruvananthapuram- Kannur Jan Shatabdi Express had fewer passengers even prior to the lockdown. "This service was only used by long distance commuters."

Demand for more trains

a) Trains such as the Ernad and Parasuram Express running from Mangalore Central to Nagercoil and vice versa should be restarted. These trains help connect the southern part of Kerala to the Malabar or northern districts.

"If it is difficult to resume inter-state services, these trains can cover just the Kerala stretch," Liyons suggests.

b) Restarting more trains such as the Vanchinad Express and the Inter-city or Malabar Express to Thiruvananthapuram. "The capital city is the administrative hub and has the most number of government offices. There are people living in other districts who need to reach the capital everyday but as of now, there is not a single train running," Geetha adds.

c) Memu trains or passenger trains covering all districts have to be started on an emergency basis. This, in order to bring better connectivity between districts.

The group members say that shutting down train services directly impacts the state's economy.

"My wife has spent Rs 40, 000 over the last fews month on private transport from Kollam to her place of work in Changanssery," Liyons adds.

The pandemic has led to pay cuts for private and public sector employees. "The burden of additional travel cost makes it impossible for people to survive," Geetha adds.

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