New Railway ticket counter to be opened

Residents’ forum highlights demand for overbridge at Edappally Railway station.

August 20, 2012 11:40 am | Updated 11:40 am IST - KOCHI

A non-reserved ticket issuing facility of the Railways will be inaugurated at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) at Edappally on Monday, taking their total number in the city to seven.

Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agarwal will throw open the counter to members of the public. The aim is to reduce the queue at the ticket counters in Kochi’s two main stations — Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town. The Ernakulam area manager of the Railways P.L. Ashok Kumar said that passengers would be able to purchase unreserved tickets from the counter.

The counter will be similar to the one at the High Court of Kerala. “It will be manned by staff nominated by AIMS, who have been trained by the Railways. The counter’s operator will get Re.1 per ticket as remuneration. Around 600 people, on an average, depend on each of the other such counters in the city. Any establishment which wants to open such a counter in its premises can approach us and we will provide all guidance,” Mr. Kumar said.

The ticket counter at the Civil Station in Kakkanad has the added advantage that tickets can be reserved from there. Around 1,000 people use the facility each day. Each Lok Sabha MP is eligible to get a reservation system in his constituency, while each Rajya Sabha MP can suggest a counter anywhere in the State.

A ticket counter at the Vyttilla mobility hub using the quota of Charles Diaz, MP, is long-pending. “The infrastructure for this is not yet ready and Kerala Tourism has promised to install the amenities at the hub,” Mr. Diaz said.

“We hope that the Thiruvananthapuram DRM who will visit AIMS will also see for himself the necessity for an overbridge to link the southern side of the Edappally Railway station with the road on the northern side that leads to the hospital,” said K.A. Francis, treasurer of the Ernakulam District Residents Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC). “A policeman was the last victim fatally knocked down by a train as he was crossing the tracks to reach Amrita Hospital. People have to cross seven tracks to reach the other side,” he said.

The government had approved the project to build a two-lane overbridge at the station over a year ago.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.