The Hindu : Front Page : Railway passengers left in the lurch

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Tuesday, Nov 13, 2007
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Railway passengers left in the lurch

Staff Reporter

Southern Railway fails to cope with Deepavali rush

Kochi: Railways have not introduced special trains, despite unprecedented increase in the number of passengers waiting to reach their workplace in other States after the Deepavali festive season.

The situation is such that even the waiting list of most trains is exhausted, leaving people at the mercy of those who sell tickets in the black market. People throng crowded general compartments and even reserved coaches, to get a seat. This has resulted in the police and Railway Protection Force personnel having a tough job handling crowds in most stations. The ongoing platform-relaying work at the Ernakulam Junction railway station has made matters worse, adding to the confusion.

Shortage of coaches

A Railway official said that there is acute shortage of coaches in most divisions. “The situation is such that many passenger trains are running with just eight coaches, instead of the 14 coaches that have been sanctioned. Even if coaches are augmented in long-distance trains, ordinary platforms can hold only 21 or 22 coaches. Long-distance trains generally have 24 coaches. Things will get worse, since the Sabarimala season is around the corner.”

The worst affected by the shortage of coaches and inadequate number of trains in busy routes are Bangalore passengers.

Lakhs of Keralites reside or work in Bangalore and for them it is tough getting a seat in Island Express, the only daily train that connects Thiruvananthapuram with Bangalore.

Despite the Bangalore-Coimbatore train being extended to Kochi, people are forced to depend on private buses, paying over double the second-class fare. The biweekly trains from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram run packed to capacity.

Long-standing demand

Passengers have for long been demanding an additional daily train to Bangalore, to cater to the increase in number of IT professionals and others who are employed there.

Apart from shortage of coaches, Railways have been citing the delay in rail-doubling in the State and the lack of terminal facilities in some stations to hold 24 coaches, for not putting in operation a new daily train.

Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Titus Koshy said that the zonal office of the Southern Railway has a centralised system to monitor the backlog in the waiting list of trains which are high in demand.

“Generally, special trains are put in operation, to cater to the rush,” he said.

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